Artemis' New School
by jaredfan
Summary: Artemis moves in with an American family and has to deal with other teenagers and school and stuff. I know this kind of story has been done before, but I liked the idea. My first fanfic ever.
1. I

Hi. My story is about Artemis moving in with an American family of five. I guess you'd call them 'average'. There isn't really any big plot. I just think it would be interesting to see how Artemis would act in everyday teenager situations.

I know what the title says, but he doesn't actually go to school in the first chapter. That comes later.

This is my first fanfic ever, so give me a break. I'd appreciate constructive criticism. Just telling me it's not very good won't make me a better writer. Give me advice. Help me out. Thx.

XXXXXX

Artemis was currently on a one way plane to America, alone. The boy genius had a seat next to the aisle. Everyone thought window seats were the best, an idea Artemis found ridiculous. All you could see through a window was sky and clouds. Fascinating.

Aisle seats are the best. They are most convenient if you need to get up or attract the attention of a stewardess.

Currently, a young, friendly looking stewardess was passing out fun sized packets of animal crackers to the children on the flight. She stopped by Artemis' seat and asked him politely, "Would you like some animal crackers, young man?"

Little did she know who she was talking to.

"Excuse me?" Artemis asked skeptically. "Do I look like a child?"

The stewardess' smile didn't waver, but Artemis could tell by the way she swayed back and forth that she was uncomfortable.

"No," she said. "Not a child, but usually teenagers enjoy a nice snack every now and then just as much."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Nice? You think it's nice to give young children food in the shape of endangered species. It's nice to teach such a tender age that it is acceptable to bite the heads off animals and eat them?"

"Um…" she looked hurt now, but at the moment, Artemis didn't care.

"Just go," he dismissed her. "Continue passing out your animal replicas for four-year-olds to de-limb and devour."

The poor stewardess made her way farther down the plane. It took real talent to make a person feel guilty about giving away free treats to grateful kids, but Artemis took it all in his stride. Besides, he had to take out his anger on someone.

Artemis closed his eyes, remembering how he'd gotten where he was.

After Angeline Fowl had learned all about her son's contact with the fairy world and all that he'd been through in the past few years, she took aside her husband, and they had a serious talk. In the end they decided that Artemis needed a break from his old life and start out fresh. Apparently, America is 'the' place to start out fresh.

Angeline decided he would go to a new school far away where he had a clean slate, able to be whoever he wanted, away from the pressures of worrying about his family, keeping the fairies a secret, saving the world, and whatnot. To top things off, Mrs. Fowl decided that for her little Arty to truly experience being a kid, he would be attending public school.

Public school! Outrageous. Artemis made many well researched, professionally executed arguments as to why staying at home would be a much better course of action, but Angeline simply did not see the logic behind his reason. She was determined that her oldest son get to experience being 'normal', case closed.

She wouldn't even let him take Butler with him. For some reason, she thought he'd be safe in America. Little did she know he had as many enemies in the states as in Ireland. Still, that shouldn't be a problem if he laid low.

As a reader, you might be wondering why Artemis is not in his private jet. Yet another one of Angeline's ideas for the whole 'normal' experience. Normal people traveled in public planes. She even bought him a second class ticket! Mothers. They can be so unreasonable.

Artemis spent the rest of his flight contemplating the next year of his life. It would be different, that's for sure.

When the airplane finally landed, it took forever for every passenger to get off of the aircraft. Artemis couldn't help but think if he'd been in charge he would've had everyone clear off the plane in two minutes flat, luggage and all.

When it was Artemis' turn to disembark, he made his way into the airport. It didn't take long for him to spot a woman with a sign that read Artemis Fowl. The woman was short, in her mid forties, and sported curly, naturally red hair.

Artemis approached her. "I believe you are holding a sign for my father."

"Pardon?" she said taken aback.

"Artemis Fowl is my father. I am Artemis Fowl II."

"Oh," her face broke into a smile. "A joke. Funny."

"It was not-"

"You're Artemis, then? Nice to meet you. Welcome to Michigan. I'm Mrs. Frome."

While in America, Artemis was going to live with a middle class family who graciously offered him a place to stay. Artemis Fowl Senior pointed out before he left that it was a good way to learn about American culture first hand. Artemis Junior didn't bother to point out that he already knew American culture.

"So, Artemis," Mrs. Frome said as the walked through the airport. "Have you ever been to the United States before?"

"I have, for a …family business trip. Not a fond memory," he responded.

Mrs. Frome nodded sympathetically, like she understood how not-fun business trips could be. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to make some fond memories with us…"

Ha!

"…I'm looking forward to hearing all about your life back home. I've never been to Ireland, myself."

The two of them retrieved Artemis' luggage and carried it out to the car, putting it in the trunk. Before getting in the driver's seat, Mrs. Frome told Artemis, "I made the kids sit in the back so you could have shotgun."

Sure enough, when Artemis got in the passenger seat, there were a girl and a boy in the back seat. They had sandy brown hair that didn't look like either of them had spend much time on. They look around Artemis' age, which was fourteen. They were talking animatedly, but stopped when Artemis got in the car. Mrs. Frome started the car, pulled out of the parking spot, and drove out of the parking lot. While doing this she made introductions.

"Artemis, these are my lovely kids, Robin and Bradon. Mr. Frome and my other son, Chase, are waiting at home. Kids, I'd like you to meet your new house mate, Artemis."

"Hi," Robin waved shyly.

"You have a cool name!" Bradon blurted out, not so shyly.

"Really?" No one had ever told Artemis that before.

Bradon nodded. "I've never met an Artemis before. I like unique names. Isn't Artemis some god of war or something?"

"Goddess of the hunt, actually," Artemis corrected. This boy obviously was not very bright.

Bradon sat deep in thought, then said slowly, "A girl…"

_Here it comes_, thought Artemis. The same unoriginal response he always got when telling someone his name for the first time.

"I like it better as a boy's name," Bradon decided.

Artemis started. That was unexpected. Maybe he had misjudged this boy's brightness. He had a lot more sense than some people.

"You're the first person who's ever told me that," he said.

"It's the truth," Bradon shrugged. "And your accent's cool, too. I want to talk like that. Where'd you learn it?"

Ah, well. Brightness dims at times.

The rest of the car ride consisted of Bradon asking random, pointless questions, such as Do you own a four leaf clover? Have you ever seen a leprechaun? Is you favorite color green? Have you ever been bitten by a shark?

"Enough, Bradon!" Mrs. Frome scolded after a while. "Just because the boy's from Ireland doesn't mean he lives up to all those Irish stereotypes."

"The shark question was not an Irish question," Bradon defended.

"Don't talk back."

"I wasn't talking back!"

Robin remained quiet throughout the car ride, but she looked like she would burst out laughing at any second.

_I've entered the land of immaturity_, Artemis concluded. There was a reason why he never socialized with those his own age. Himself excluded, teenagers have the intelligence of a goldfish.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled into the driveway of the Frome house. It looked average enough. There was a huge tree in the front yard that shaded the whole area. Still the house gave out a friendly vibe. Mrs. Frome turned to Artemis. "Welcome home."

Artemis groaned internally. It was not Fowl Manor, but he would have to deal with it.

XXXXXX

So, should I continue?


	2. II

First of all, I would like to say thank you to those of you who reviewed

First of all, I would like to say thank you to those of you who reviewed. They were all such great reviews and just made my day! I was inspired to write the next chapter, and since I had nothing to do today, I got it done pretty darn fast. It's also way longer than the first chapter. Enjoy!

XXXXXXXXX

"Leave your bags in the trunk," Mrs. Frome said. "We can bring them in later."

The four of them got out of the car and up to the house. Mrs. Frome unlocked the front door. Artemis entered and found himself in the living room.

On the couch was a younger boy with dark, curly hair. He wore baggy pants, a beanie hat, and a t-shirt with some band on it. He looked like he belonged on a skateboard. The boy didn't even take his eyes off the TV when the door opened. He was too busy playing a video game.

Mrs. Frome sighed and walked over to her youngest son, putting a hand on his head. She said, "Pause the game." He did. "Remember what I told you about ignoring people?" she whispered. "Now, get up, and introduce yourself to your new guest."

The boy merely twisted in his seat so he faced Artemis. "Hi, my name's Chase. It's a pleasure to meet you." The words sounded forced and he didn't smile.

_How rude_, Artemis thought. _This child knows nothing about courtesy._ A polite person would have gotten themself in a standing position, shook hands, and smiled warmly. Chase scored a zero out of three.

At that moment, a man walked into the room. He looked a lot like Chase, except he was bigger set, had stubble, and was thirty-five years older.

"Artemis! We meet at last," Mr. Frome exclaimed. Before Artemis could respond in any way, Mr. Frome submersed him in a big bear hug. "Welcome to our home. Of course, when I say 'our', I'm including you now."

Mr. Frome stepped back, beaming. All courtesy forgotten, Artemis just stared. He was caught so off guard. He tried to think of the last time anyone other than his mother had hugged him.

"That's very kind," Artemis said, politely. "It was generous of you to open up your home to me." He hoped Chase was taking notes.

Mr. Frome brushed away imaginary words in the air. "Think nothing of it."

"Now that you've met everyone, Artemis, you'd probably like to get a little settled," Mrs. Frome interrupted. "Bradon, go finish setting up your room. It looks like a pig sty down there."

"Yes, ma'am," Bradon marched out of the room.

"And don't call me ma'am!" she called after him. Shaking her head, she turned to her daughter. "Robin, would you show Artemis his new room?"

"Sure." Robin led Artemis past Chase, who had returned to his video game, and down the hallway. She pushed open a wooden door, and they both stood in a smallish bedroom. There was a bed, a dresser, some shelves, and a closet, otherwise it was stripped empty.

"This is where you'll sleep," Robin explained. "It used to be Bradon's room, but he moved in with Chase in the basement bedroom. He waited until this morning to do it, so his stuff is still everywhere down there."

Artemis nodded. "And your room?"

"Right next door," she blushed.

Artemis looked around his new room. It was smaller than his room at Fowl Manor. The furniture was obviously cheaper. Once again, he wondered what Angeline had been thinking, sending him here. He was broken out of his thoughts of furniture by Robin's voice.

"So, how old are you," she said, trying to make conversation.

"Fourteen."

"Oh, so you'll be a freshman at Mullborn this year."

"Unfortunately," Artemis responded.

Robin got quiet after this comment. Eventually, she continued unsurely. "Yeah, I'm fourteen, and I'll be a freshman, too. Bradon's also in our grade, but he's fifteen."

"Why is that?" Artemis asked.

"He failed seventh grade," she said casually. "So he's a year behind. Chase is ten, by the way. Fifth grader."

"And is he always that friendly, or did I catch him on an off day?"

Robin laughed. "He's quite the charmer, isn't he? No, he's having a normal day. And about my dad; he likes to give hugs a lot. I hope that didn't bother you."

"No, not at all," Artemis said sarcastically. "I rather enjoy being unable to breathe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to retrieve my luggage and unpack."

XXXXXXXXX

The next morning was the last day of summer before school started in the fall. Artemis awoke to find the house silent. Mr. and Mrs. Frome had already gone to work, and the kids were still sleeping. He ate breakfast and spent the rest of the morning sending e-mails to his parents, Butler, and Holly via his laptop.

At lunchtime, Artemis searched the refrigerator for something to eat. There were hot dogs, ice cream, and leftover fast food. Nothing fit for a Fowl. He closed the fridge as Bradon came in the kitchen. He still wore pajamas, and his hair was even messier than yesterday. Does the word 'hairbrush' mean anything to this family?

"Sup, Artemis," Bradon yawned.

_Not a sentence worth responding to_, Artemis thought. _Not even a complete sentence._

He sat down at the table. Bradon poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat next to him.

"So, Artemis," he said. "Have any plans for the day?"

"Not as of the moment."

"Good. Me and some friends are going bowling to celebrate our last day of freedom. I'm inviting you."

"You're inviting me?" Artemis asked incredulously.

"Yep."

And Artemis thought getting hugged was a shock. He had never been invited to a social outing before…ever.

He cleared his throat. "I'm going to have to pass. Bowling isn't really my thing."

"Aw, come on," Bradon coaxed. "It's better than sitting around the house all day."

"What are your brother and sister planning on doing?"

"Probably sitting around the house all day. I swear, they are so strange. What kind of a person doesn't go out and hang with friends in their spare time?"

Artemis was silently offended. He didn't have many friends and spent most of his free time by himself.

"Are you coming?" Bradon asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"I already told you."

"I'll force you."

Artemis scoffed. "That's absurd. There is no way you could possibly force me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three hours later Artemis and Bradon entered the busy bowling alley. Turns out, Bradon could force him to go. When Mrs. Frome got home from her part time job at the bank, Bradon proposed his idea that Artemis should go bowling, to get used to the town and meet new people. Mrs. Frome thought it was a wonderful idea, and that was that.

Bradon found his friends already at a lane. After they made their way over to them, Bradon introduced them all in turn. "This is Chester, Cody, and Randy. This is Artemis."

They all said hi.

"So, you're really from Ireland?" Randy asked. "Like, you lived there your whole life?"

"Correct," Artemis confirmed.

"Cool."

Artemis could tell he wouldn't be having many stimulating conversations any time soon. A minute later, one more boy named Fischer showed up.

"Sorry I'm late," said Fischer. "The car broke down, so I had to ride my bike."

All the boys pitched in the buy a large pizza. Then it was time to add names into the machine.

"How do you spell your name, Artemis? A-R-T-E-M-I-S?" Chester asked.

"Don't bother," said the boy genius. "I'm going to sit this game out."

Chester raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Chester shrugged and hit the Start Bowling button. Bradon looked disapproving. He had brought Artemis to bowl, not to sit and watch. But that's what Artemis did. He found a sort-of-comfortable chair and observed.

He ended up comparing each boy's bowling strategy. Each one did things slightly different. They were all decent bowlers, but Artemis couldn't help but focus on their flaws. Sometimes they stood too far to the left. Sometimes they released the ball too soon. Sometimes they stepped with the wrong foot! It was painful to watch.

Artemis could see it perfectly. Just calculate the distance, the location, the weight of the ball, and other minor factors. If the right person know what they were doing, they could throw a strike every time.

At the end of the game, Fischer exclaimed, "Whoo-hoo! One-thirty-two! That's above average. Go me!"

Artemis marveled at the fact that he could be so optimistic when he had the lowest score. Curious. Artemis stood up and clapped his hands together. He had made a decision. "I would like to play this next round."

Bradon, Fischer, Chester, Randy, and Cody all looked at him as if to say "Really?"

"What are you all staring at? Did I say something amusing?"

"No," Chester added Artemis' name to the lane. "Okay, let's play."

The first five boys bowled, and then it was Artemis' turn. He picked up a bowling ball for the first time. He stood exactly where he should, took four steps forward, swung and released the ball. Perfect execution. He wasn't surprised when all ten pins fell down. He brushed imaginary dust from his shoulder and took a seat.

"That was nice," Bradon gushed. "I thought you said bowling wasn't your thing?"

"It's not. I have never bowled before today."

"No way."

"Lucky shot," Randy commented.

_Luck has nothing to do with it_, thought Artemis. _It is all about skill, which I happen to know more about than you._

On the second frame, Artemis bowled another strike. There wasn't any doubt that no pins would remain standing.

"Are you sure you've never bowled before?" questioned Bradon. "How'd you do that?"

Artemis smirked. "It's simple mathematics and a little physics."

"Huh."

Three frames later, and Artemis had all but bowled perfectly. He was starting to grab the attention of people in neighboring lanes. They'd stop their own games to watch him. Will he get another strike? Yes! He did it again!

On the seventh frame there were at least ten people standing around, just watching, their games finished, wanting to stick around to see the outcome of Artemis'. He stood in his spot, took four steps, swung the ball, and released. Strike! There was a light scatter of applause, and Artemis was rather pleased with himself.

"Three more frames and he bowls a three-hundred," Chester said to Bradon in awe.

Thank you, captain obvious.

On the tenth frame, Artemis picked up his ball. There was a small crowd, now, all waiting in anticipation. It's not often one got to see someone bowl a perfect game. Any other person would be feeling the pressure by now, but not Artemis. He had arrogantly perfect confidence in his ability. Who needs luck and talent when you have logic?

He bowled and…strike.

He bowled again and …strike.

"Go Artemis!" Bradon whooped.

"Is that really his name?" someone asked.

One more ball. Just one more ball and he'd done it. The whole building knew it. A hush fell over the area as Artemis took his spot. He wasn't nervous, but he felt a sort of adrenaline he'd never felt before. All eyes were on him, for a good reason. He was more than a teenager. More than a former criminal. People were impressed, not grudgingly, but willingly.

He positioned himself.

Took four steps forward.

Swung the ball.

Released.

The bowling ball rolled down the lane. Halfway there. Three quarters of the way there. And, well, you know, naturally…

"Strike!!" at least three people yelled. Everyone clapped. "He bowled a perfect game!" "He bowled a three hundred!" "Good job." "Way to go."

"You liar," Bradon accused through a grin. "You have bowled before."

"No, I haven't."

Artemis felt proud of himself. He was being recognized for doing something people actually liked. He used his brain for good. Okay, it wasn't exactly charity, but it wasn't illegal. And that's a step up for Artemis.

Artemis didn't care what people thought of him. If a hundred people declared that they hated him all in one day he could still go to bed with an empty conscious. But he had never realized how satisfying it felt to do something that impressed others instead of angered them.

Artemis thought of all the people that had deemed him a social outcast (and mind you that's a lot of people). If only they could see him now.

XXXXXXX

I wrote it really fast, and didn't edit much. Hopefully it's still good. 


	3. III

If you're reading this right now it means you made it through the first two chapters

If you're reading this right now it means you made it through the first two chapters. Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

This next chapter was really hard to write. Serious writer's block.

I'm trying my best to keep Artemis in character, so basically I tried to think how Artemis would respond to being forced to go through public school. What would he do? This is what I came up with.

XXXXXXXX

It was the first day of school. Artemis, Robin, and Bradon walked the six blocks to the high school. (Chase's elementary school was in the opposite direction.) The sun was shining, and the birds were chirping, but still Artemis felt dejected. He could not believe he was walking! If it were up to him, he would rent a car and a driver to drive him every morning and afternoon. But Mrs. Frome thought walking was a good idea. He could still hear her as she had sent them off that morning.

"It's only six blocks after all. When I was a kid, I had to walk twelve blocks, no matter what the weather, and I didn't have a backpack."

What a pointless story. What do parents expect their children to do when they say things like that? Say, "Oh, I'm so grateful for my backpack!" and skip away?

"When I turn sixteen, I'm buying myself a car!" Bradon declared.

"Maybe you should get your license first," suggested Robin.

"I will."

"Your birthday's in four months, and you haven't started driver's training yet," she pointed out.

Bradon wasn't concerned. "Details, details. I know, I'll buy my car first, so when I get my license, it'll be ready to go."

"And where will you get money for a car?"

Bradon shot his sister a look. "You just enjoy smothering my dreams, don't you?"

"Yep, that's it."

The three teenagers finally reached Mullborn High School. The trip felt like an eternity to Artemis, dragged out even longer by being forced to listen to the siblings' boring conversations.

They went through the doors to hallways congested with students. Artemis took in his surroundings. Dirty. Unorganized. Loud. He could hear swear words being shouted thirty feet away. There were papers on the floor no one bothered to pick up. People ran and shoved each other out of the way, not caring.

So this was an American public high school.

"It's everything I ever wished for," Bradon said in awe. "Catch you guys later!" He ran off to find his friends.

Robin turned to Artemis. "Want to go find our lockers?"

"I suppose now is as good a time as any." _As long as we don't get ambushed on the way there. _It seemed likely.

The two of them made their way around the maze of a school trying to find the right locker numbers.

Robin was smiling. "I'm so excited. I've been looking forward to high school for ages."

"You were looking forward to this?"

"Well, yeah. High school's the best."

Artemis watched one boy slap a girl's butt. "I beg to differ."

Robin could sense his lack of enthusiasm as they rounded a corner. "What's so bad about high school?"

"It's disgusting and completely barbaric," Artemis described. "At least the school I used to go to was exclusive and private. There were some form of rules."

"There are rules here," Robin said quietly. "This is a very good school district. I guess it's just not as proper as you're used to."

Did Artemis sense anger in her voice? It was so subtle, he wondered if _she_ even knew it was there. Had he hurt her feelings? Impossible. It's not like he was insulting _her_.

Their lockers ended up being upstairs. Robin's was 603. Artemis' was 601. Apparently, they were assigned lockers alphabetically, and Fowl and Frome are close together in that aspect. The inside of Artemis' locker was just as dirty as the floor. He would have to clean it tomorrow.

A loud school bell rang indicating five minutes until school starts. Artemis pulled out his schedule and read:

HOUR ONE: GYM

_It's official_, thought Artemis. _I'm in hell on earth_.

XXXXXX

Bleachers lined the gym on either side, and a group of boys sat in one section. Artemis stood near them. Bradon ran into the gym a second before the bell rang. He said, "Hey, Artemis," before sitting down.

A man who looked to be in his late twenties with a whistle around his neck took a place in front of the bleachers.

"Hello," he began. "And welcome to Freshman Boys P.E. My name is Mr. Deam, but I'm sure you already know that since my name is on your schedules." He went on, "This is always my favorite hour. You know why? Because all of you sitting here are the lucky few who get to go to gym first thing in the morning every day!"

A couple boys groaned. Others laughed.

"What? You're not excited?" Mr. Deam shrugged. "Too bad."

Against the wall was a big cardboard box. Mr. Deam pulled it in front of the bleachers so it was the center of attention.

"The first thing we're going to do," he said, "Is change into our gym clothes. There is a strict dress code for this class, and what you're wearing right now is unacceptable. It this box," he patted it, "Are t-shirts and shorts for you. I want you to find a pair that fit you and go change into it. We will be doing this every day."

The group of boys started to stand up and move toward the box. All except one, anyway.

"You can't be serious."

Everyone looked to where Artemis was standing.

Mr. Deam looked confused, as if he were being given directions in a foreign language. "What am I not serious about?"

"Do you honestly expect me to change into clothes that a dozen other boys have probably already worn?" he questioned. "It's not sanitary."

"They've been washed," Mr. Deam said. "They're clean. Now hurry up, and get dressed."

Artemis made no move for the box. "I refuse to wear those filthy pieces of fabric. If I'm going to wear anything, it will be my own, not community shorts."

His words echoed around the large gymnasium. The rest of the class was silent, curious to see what would happen next.

Mr. Deam remained calm. Instead of getting upset, he calmly explained, "If you don't get changed, then you can't participate in our daily activities."

"Oh, my. Now, there would be a loss." You'd have to be the biggest idiot in the world to miss the sarcasm. Mr. Deam was not an idiot.

"Okay. You get a zero for the day. Sit down. If there are no other objections, the rest of you go change."

The boys shuffled to pick out shirts and shorts and made their way to the dressing room. Bradon approached Artemis, who had made himself comfortable on the bleachers.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"Refusing to follow orders simply because someone is in a position of authority."

"I hear that, but this is gym! It's the easiest class ever. Why don't you stick it to authority in a harder class, like math?"

Artemis rolled his eyes. Bradon clearly missed the point. When Artemis was the only boy left not in the locker room, the gym teacher sat next to him on the bleachers.

"What's your name?"

"Artemis Fowl II."

He nodded. "Right, the foreign exchanged student. Listen, Artemis. Is this really how you want to kick off the school year?"

"If you mean by not running until I sweat, then yes."

"You have to participate eventually. If you don't you will fail this class," Mr. Deam warned.

"I'm not worried about that," Artemis told him.

"This is a required course. If you don't pass, you'll have to take it again next semester, or you won't graduate."

Artemis cringed as the idea of re-taking P.E.

"You misunderstand me," he corrected his teacher. "I am not worried, because I am not going to fail."

"So, you'll participate?"

"No."

"Even if you could wear your own shorts?"

"I don't wear shorts."

Mr. Deam pondered for a moment. "Fine, it's your choice whether you do anything here or not. I can't force you. I just pass out the grades. If you can find a way to pass my class without any physical exertion, then I'd be happy to see it, because it's never been done before."

It was a challenge, and a fair one at that. Never been done before? Well, this school had never seen Artemis Fowl II before.

For the rest of the hour, while his classmates ran laps and played dodgeball, Artemis sat deep in thought, working out a plan that would allow him to avoid the inevitable horrors of Freshman Boys P.E.

XXXXXXX

Second hour was AP English. The entire hour consisted of the teacher going over works of literature they would be examining throughout the year, most of which Artemis had already read and deciphered on his own…when he was six.

XXXXXXX

The next class was computers. Artemis took refuge at a computer that was unoccupied on either side. What he needed right now was to go to a place where knowledge was endless, the internet. It was a pastime he had grown fond of while bored or in need of cheering up. He would research a world wide problem or theory that had been baffling experts for ages and solve it before nightfall.

Artemis turned the computer on and clicked on the internet icon. The screen pepped up with a big INTERNET BLOCK sign on it. Artemis tried accessing some websites but the block wouldn't let him go anywhere. If this had happened to Holly, she would've said "D'Arvit!" and taken a good swing at the monitor. Artemis had a more effective method in mind. He checked the clock to make sure he still had time before class began.

A few clicks here. A few clicks there. Roadblock. Need a password. It took Artemis three tries to figure out the right password. School passwords are always so obvious. This one was 'district 19'. A few more seconds and…done. He had access to the internet.

"What are you doing?"

Artemis jumped. He hadn't known he was being watched. He spun around to face a short, freckled boy who was gaping at his computer screen.

"We're not allowed on the internet," the boy accused.

"Obviously," Artemis agreed. "Otherwise there wouldn't be a block."

"How'd you get through the block? Never mind. You'd better get off."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll tell on you." (Cue scary music.)

Artemis was not impressed. "You're starting to irritate me."

The boy's eyes narrowed. His hand shot up into the air. The computer teacher was doing something at her desk. "Yes?" she looked up.

"He's on the internet." He pointed to Artemis.

The teacher looked at Artemis' computer to see the now blank screen. She replied, "I blocked all internet access. There is no way he could have accessed it except through my computer." The tardy bell rang. "Now, take a seat."

The boy grumbled at a smug Artemis, then noticed that the only available computer was next to him. He reluctantly sat down. Artemis wasn't too pleased either. Some of his best work was done on computers. Now, he wouldn't be able to do anything out of the ordinary or risk being tattled on.

Just his luck. So far every hour felt like a waste of time. Honestly, Artemis did not see what was so spectacular about high school. And the day was only half way done.

XXXXXX

Yeah, I had originally planned for the entire first day to be one chapter, but it ended up being too long, so I cut it in half. I already have the rest of the day planned out in my head. I just have to write it.

I would appreciate reviews. I don't think this was one of my greatest chapters, but you all understand how it feels to get reviews. It's nice to know people are actually reading your story and like it. For me it makes me want to write more, and more quickly. So, please review to let me know what you think!


	4. IV

Do you know how it feels to wake up first thing in the morning and have 4 new reviews?! I was so excited. (Yes, I logged on first thing in the morning. It is summer after all.)

Thank you all for reading. I've had some pretty enthusiastic reviews. The pressure is on. I hope I can live up to all your expectations.

XXXXXXX

When Artemis entered the cafeteria, there were a lot of empty tables. Most of the students were still in the lunch line. Artemis, of course, never bought school lunches. He took a seat and started to eat. Slowly, the cafeteria started to fill up with students, munching and gabbing about their morning classes.

Artemis tuned them out mostly. None of them were saying anything worth hearing. His attention was grabbed, however, when a sophomore girl took a seat across from him at his table. She was in a grade higher than him, had long, brown hair, and big, blue eyes. She wasn't a supermodel, but she had a smile that lit up her features and made her look kind of pretty.

_Pretty?_ thought Artemis. _I did not just think that. Being a teenager is such a nuisance._

"Hi. Are you the new foreign boy?" she asked conversationally.

Artemis was bothered. "I prefer 'Artemis' to 'New Foreign Boy', if you don't mind."

"Sorry," she said automatically. "Me and my friend were just wondering, we heard you bowled a three-hundred yesterday. Is that true?"

"It is," he said, surprised. "How did you hear that?"

"I heard this kid named Fischer talking about it," she explained. "Are you on a league?"

Artemis scoffed. "Of course not. I wouldn't be caught dead on something as childish as a bowling league."

The sophomore's smile disappeared instantaneously. "Oh," her voice trembled. "Well, bye."

She stood up and quickly joined her friend a few tables away.

"Smooth."

Artemis turned. Behind him stood the short, freckled boy from computers. Artemis had learned his name was Tyler.

"You have got to stop sneaking up on me," Artemis told him.

Tyler smirked. "You're not going to make very many friends acting like that."

"Elaborate."

"You need to learn more about people before you go voicing your opinion. That girl was on the bowling team last year. Last I heard, her summer league just ended."

Oops. Artemis hadn't intended to hurt the girl's feelings. He supposed it was just a habit. Did he _want_ to make people feel inferior? Did he care?

"I also heard you told off Mr. Deam," Tyler continued. "Of all the teachers in this stupid school, he's the coolest. You were just being a jerk."

"You're not exactly earning yourself many good points right now," Artemis shot back.

Tyler shook his head and walked away.

_What is that kid's problem? He should learn some people skills._

XXXXXXX

Fourth hour was AP Geometry. Robin was in this class.

_So, she's good at math. Makes sense. She seems like the quiet, studious type._

They exchanged a few words before class started, but that was all.

XXXXXXX

Fifth hour was World History. The teacher talked entirely in monotone. A few kids nearly fell asleep. Artemis imagined himself teaching. He would never allow his pupils' attention to waver, not that it would in the first place. His lessons would be educational and challenging. His class would be riveted for sure.

XXXXXXX

The final hour of the day was AP Physical Science. The science room was made of tables, as opposed to desks. Artemis took a seat, and not long after, Robin claimed a spot next to him.

"Are you in all the AP classes?" she asked him.

Artemis nodded. "Obviously, you're in two out of three."

"Not English," she smiled weakly. "I hate writing, and story comprehension is not my thing. I like math and science, thought."

The bell rang, and a middle-aged woman grabbed the attention of the class. She wore spectacles and a frown.

She said, "Welcome to AP Physical Science. You being AP students, I have high expectations for you. You are hardworking, dedicated students, and I will expect to see nothing less from you." She eyed every one in the room. "If you do not behave as appropriate, I will make sure you are moved down to a class more fitting."

_Fear tactic_, Artemis pondered. _If you are able to put fear in someone, you gain an amount of control you wouldn't otherwise have._ Artemis would know. He'd made grown men fear him before. It was often rewarding.

After that impressive display of power, Mrs. Maxwell (That's her name.) took attendance. After calling Artemis' name, she read, "Robin Frome?"

"Here," Robin raised her hand.

Mrs. Maxwell's forehead creased. "Frome? Do you have a twin brother?"

"We're in the same grade, but he's older," Robin corrected.

"Yes, well, I had him earlier today," the teacher said with disgust. "Tell me, are you two anything alike?"

"I-I don't think so."

"Hmm. We'll see." She continued with attendance.

Artemis saw how uncomfortable Robin looked. It was obvious that Mrs. Maxwell did not like Bradon and now had her guard up around Robin. Robin seemed to have figured out as much, as well.

It didn't take long for the class to learn that Mrs. Maxwell was not the teacher to mess with. Her eyes were like daggers. Kids couldn't ever whisper to each other without getting singled out. So, the teacher's voice was the only sound anyone heard all hour.

Artemis thought she was going rather over the top. It was only the first day after all. Mrs. Maxwell also seemed to look at Robin more often than anyone else.

When the bell rang to indicate the end of the school day, the entire class shuffled into the hall, where bottled up chatter all emerged at once.

"Holy cow! If she's going to be like that all year, I _want_ to get transferred."

"You'd still have her as a teacher, just a different hour."

"Dang."

"Did you see her eyes? I thought she was going to burn a hole through me."

The crowd dispersed. Suddenly, Robin was no where in sight. Artemis walked down the hallway by himself. Robin hadn't gone far. She was just around the corner with Bradon.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Nothing," Bradon defended.

"She almost killed me when she read my last name."

"It's not my fault she doesn't like out last name."

Robin gave him a funny look. "Did you interrupt her or something?"

Bradon said innocently, "I may have asked her a few questions."

Artemis remembered when he'd first met Bradon (Was it only two days ago?) and the questions that he'd asked him. He pictured Mrs. Maxwell reacting to "Have you ever been bitten by a shark?"

"Can you continue this discussion at home?" Artemis interrupted. "I want to get this six block walk out of the way."

One day done. Only over a hundred to go.

XXXXXXX

Please review, even if you've done it before. Tell me what you think. Getting reviews is the coolest thing ever.

I know I didn't really _do_ much this chapter, but I just needed to finish the school day. Now that that's over, we can see what happens next!

Review. Thx for reading!


	5. V

A couple of important announcements:

I am going away on vacation soon. I have 24 hours to write and post another chapter. There is a good chance that won't happen. If it doesn't, I promise to write while I'm gone, and I'll post first thing next Wednesday when I get back.

As you all know, I'm relatively new here. There are a few things I still haven't figured out, even though I'm sure they should be obvious. Can anyone tell me, what are flames? What's an OOC? I have no idea.

Uhg. This chapter took a lot out of me.

XXXXXXX

Shortly after school, Artemis sat in his room. He pulled out his cell phone to call home. With the time change, it should be evening there. When he dialed the number to Fowl Manor, Angeline picked up after the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Mother."

"Arty, I was wondering when you would call. E-mails are nice, but it's not the same as hearing your voice."

Artemis felt the same way, but he didn't say so aloud. "How are things, Mother?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," Angeline said wistfully. "The only difference is you're not around. We all miss you. Poor Butler doesn't know what to do with himself with you so far away. He's all tense. I think he's afraid you're going to get bombed, and he won't be there to save you."

Artemis' lip twitched at the thought of Butler flying to America at a moment's notice. The bodyguard probably already had an emergency suitcase packed in case he needed to catch a last minute flight. Actually, if Artemis know his old friend as well as he thought, Butler likely had called one of his contacts in the U.S. and was having him watched twenty-four/seven.

"A bomb? That's ridiculous, Mother. Highly improbable."

"I know, Arty, but we have to worry about you. Especially me. You're my son," her voice was kind and sincere. "So, how was your first day of school?"

If Artemis had been feeling any happiness a second ago it was gone, now. He proceeded to describe his entire day, from his dirty locker to the unbearably hot walk home. "And they are making me take gym! Physical Education! It's horrid."

"I think gym would be good for you," Angeline proposed. "You barely get any exercise as it is. It makes me worry about your health."

"I am perfectly healthy."

"I understand this is a big change," she consoled. "Just give it some time. You'll adjust."

Artemis doubted he'd ever get used to this place, but for his mother's sake, he kept that to himself. Instead he asked, "Where is Father?"

"Out running a few errands. I'll tell him you called, though."

"Beckett and Myles?"

"I put them to bed just before you called. Too bad. They would have loved to come on the phone. Maybe next time."

"Yes," said Artemis. "Next time."

"Apart from school, how do you like it? The Fromes, are they treating you well?"

"They are feeding me, if that is what you are asking. I haven't been locked in the basement."

Angeline sighed. "I meant, are they _nice_?"

"I suppose they are all rather friendly, except for the youngest one. He keeps to himself and doesn't like to be spoken to if it isn't necessary."

"Sounds a little like you."

"He is nothing like me."

"Try finding something in common with him. You'll get along better. I'm going to let you go now, honey. Say hello to the Fromes for me. Keep thinking positive. And call again soon. I love you, Arty."

"You, too, Mother."

The line went dead. Artemis snapped shut his phone and set it on the dresser. Angeline Fowl seemed perfectly content with him staying. If he had to stick it out he would. He could handle it. What's the worst that could happen?

Two hours later, there was a knock, and the door swung open before Artemis could even turn his head. In the doorway stood Mr. Frome with his big grin.

"Artemis, my boy. Good evening. Are you enjoying your new room?"

"Immensely." There was no enthusiasm in his voice.

"Good!" He looked thrilled. "You know, I was thinking, and we've barely seen each other since you got here. I want you to feel comfortable around me, so I thought we could get to know each other better through a little bonding."

Bonding? That did not sound good.

Mr. Frome went on, "I know it's a school night, but I convinced my wife to let me take you to a basketball game tonight, just us two men. It'll be fun."

"Basketball, that sounds…"

"Get your jacket. I'll be waiting in the car."

XXXXXXX

A/N: Just a warning, I watch the occasional basketball game, but I'm not a die-hard fan. I don't know all the rules. So, sorry about any inaccuracies that might come up. I was just told today that most basketball starts in November, so there's one inaccuracy already. But for the sake of the story, you're just going to have to live with it. Sorry.

_Why do I keep getting dragged to sporting events? First bowling and now this._ Artemis was feeling pretty sorry for himself as Mr. Frome pulled the car into a parking spot so far away from the arena it was barely visible.

"Why are we not parking closer?" Artemis asked.

Mr. Frome chuckled. "There aren't any spots closer. You need a season pass to get those."

_Just my luck._ They got out of the car and headed towards the arena. The sky was starting to get dark, as it was an 8:00 game. Most of the people around were wearing shirts and hats with their team on it, or their face was painted with appropriate colors.

"I know that you Europeans are all into soccer," Mr. Frome said. "But here in America it's a little different. We like football, hockey, and basketball."

"I do not watch any sport," Artemis spit out the word 'sport'.

"Have you ever been to a basketball game before?" he asked.

"I can't say I have."

"Then it'll be a new experience for you. I promise you'll love it." For some reason, Artemis didn't believe him.

There were workers waiting at the doors. You had to show them your tickets to get by. Once they were in the warm, lighted building, Mr. Frome felt his pants and shirt as if searching for something on his person.

He said, "Could you hold onto my ticket, Artemis? I don't have any pockets."

Artemis stuck both tickets in his pocket. It was busy enough, so that as they made their way through the crowd, Artemis kept brushing shoulders with people, which bugged him to no end.

"Want some popcorn, Artemis?" Mr. Frome offered.

Artemis scrunched up his nose. "No, thank you."

"Corn dog?"

"Really, I'm fine."

Next, they went to find their seats. They had to climb up a lot of stairs, since their seats were at the third row from the top. _And Mother worries about me not getting enough exercise!_

"Not too shabby," Mr. Frome commented as they sat down. "There's still ten minutes until game time. So, you said you've never watched basketball before?"

"No, I have not."

"Do you know the rules?"

"I understand the basics but not the specific aspects."

And so Mr. Frome jumped into the details of basketball. He explained all the rules, all possible fouls, and named every player. He was oblivious to the fact that Artemis had stopped listening after the first two syllables.

When the game started, it was very enthusiastic, to say the least. Everyone was yelling. They would stand up in their seats when they got excited. Clap and Boo at the right times. Artemis, on the other hand, was bored. An opera he could sit through. This? This was a cruel joke by fate.

A time out had just been called when Artemis turned to an enthralled Mr. Frome. "I am going to use the restrooms."

He frowned. "Why didn't you go before the game started?"

"I did not have to go then. I'm afraid my bowls do not revolve around the scheduling of basketball."

"Uh-huh." He was not paying attention anymore. The players were back on the court. Artemis took the stairs down and out into the hall where the food stands are located. It was much quieter out here, almost deserted now that the game was in session.

Two boys not much older than Artemis were headed in his direction. They were having an argument. When they got closer, one of them said, "We'll let him decide who's right."

He said to Artemis, "Hey, you. Was that last foul fair or was the ref totally losing his mind?"

"I honestly wasn't paying attention," was Artemis' response.

"What? Why not?" asked the boy.

"Because, I think sports in general are entirely overrated and not worth paying attention to."

"What? You're crazy!" the second boy said. "Sports are the coolest thing alive."

"Sports are not 'alive', although most people act like they are. That's my point." Artemis jumped at the opportunity to reveal one of the many idiocies of the world. " It's mindless competition created to isolate people from each other based on their team preferences, often resulting in injury, feuds, and tabloid scandals."

"You don't understand at all," said boy one defensively. "People make a big deal out of sports, because they enjoy it. They get into it. There's nothing wrong with that."

Artemis cocked his head. "Wrong? No. Idiotic? Yes. Screaming like psychopaths as if it'll actually change the outcome of the game. Acting like your own life is dependent on your favorite team winning."

"Maybe winning is important to some people," snapped boy two.

"It is only an insignificant game."

"What are you even doing here?" boy one asked, baffled. The two boys headed back toward the seating area. Boy two called over his shoulder, "F.Y.I. You talk funny!"

Did he actually think that was clever? How sad.

"Brave words for in a basketball arena," came a voice.

Tyler was leaning against a wall, arms folded. Artemis made eye contact with him. "_You_. Are you following me?"

"Nah, but seriously, of all the places to have that argument, you had to pick here. You are just on a roll today when it comes to offending people." He pushed himself away from the wall. "You must have a death wish."

"The only death I'm wishing for is yours."

Tyler's mouth fell open in shock, and Artemis felt himself pale. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It is just that I am not in the best of moods and you… _pushing my buttons_ is not helping."

There was an awkward silence that Artemis felt obligated to break. So, he did.

"Why aren't you watching the game?"

Tyler sighed. "I needed to get away from my dad. He thought this was a good idea. Don't get me wrong. I like basketball, but…my dad… Forget it. Why am I even talking to you?" he rambled.

He started to walk away, and Artemis fell in step with him. "You do not enjoy you're father's company?"

"Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't," he replied evasively. "So, what were you doing in computers today?"

"What do you think? Trying to get on the internet."

"But how did you get past the block?"

"It is not that hard if you know what you're doing."

"You're a hacker!"

"You could say that."

At that moment, a security guard came into view, heading in their direction.

"Oh, shoot." Tyler scanned the area. He pulled open the door to a storage room and hid inside. The security guard passed by Artemis, gave a polite nod, and continued on his rounds, completely unaware of the suspicious behavior. Artemis peered at the storage room door, waiting to see what Tyler would do next. When nothing happened, Artemis knocked on the door impatiently and said, "Are you planning on coming out?"

"Is he gone?" came the muffled response.

"He is."

Tyler came out, looking nervous. Artemis waited expectantly. "Well?"

"What?"

"I know I do not know you very well, but I'm assuming you didn't hide in a supply closet because you enjoy the scenery."

Tyler blushed. "No, you're right."

"I take it you're not supposed to be here."

He shook his head.

"You're father isn't really here, is he?"

"No, he's here," Tyler said quickly. "In fact, this was all his idea."

Artemis wanted to know. "What is going on?"

Tyler took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess I can't not tell you after that, but you gotta keep it a secret! Swear?"

"On my life."

He started slowly. "My dad doesn't have a lot of money. We can't afford many things. He tries to make up for that by finding ways to _not_ have to pay. He always does it. I really hate it, but when he told me to come with him tonight, I couldn't say no."

Artemis nodded. "You sneaked in. How did you manage that?"

"It was easy. There's a window in this one deserted room that no one bothers to watch, not even a camera-" He stopped abruptly, realizing what he was saying. "I'm not proud."

"Unfortunately, your father is."

"Exactly." Tyler ran a hand through his hair. "This is embarrassing. I don't even know you. This is so bad. You probably think I'm such a loser."

_Not for the reason you think. _"You have no reason to be embarrassed. I have had my own share of illegal escapades that greatly overshadow yours."

Tyler's interest was peaked. "Like what?"

Artemis smiled in a way that would make you feel uncomfortable. "I cannot tell you, naturally. But you should have seen me back in my prime. I am not proud of some of the things I've done."

"You're just saying that."

"I wish I was."

Tyler smiled. "That kind of makes me feel better, in a weird way."

Artemis didn't even have time to process the fact that the two of them were actually getting along, because that's when the security guard came back. "Hello, boys."

Tyler jumped like he'd been electrocuted. _It's a good thing he doesn't like breaking the rules. Total amateur. Shows all signs of guilt._ The security guard sized them up. "What are you two loitering out here for?" He wasn't being intimidating. He was just doing his job.

"We were simply on our way from the restrooms," Artemis came up with quickly, not trusting Tyler to speak. "We'll just be going."

"Do you both have tickets?"

"Of course." Artemis pulled out his ticket and showed it to the security guard. Satisfied, he turned to Tyler. "And yours?"

"Uh…uh…" Tyler stuck his hands in random pockets, looking for a ticket he knew wasn't there. Artemis could see him starting to panic. The poor boy did not do well under pressure. "My dad must have it," he bought himself some time.

The security guard took the bait. People holding on to each other's tickets was probably common. But Tyler was not quite off the hook. "And where is _he_?"

"My dad? He's…he's over…watching the game…"

This was too much. Artemis couldn't watch. He had to do something for his own dignity. "Oh, I completely forgot. You gave your ticket to me, remember?" Artemis pulled out Mr. Frome's ticket and gave it to Tyler.

"Oh, yeah! I must have forgot!" Over exaggerated acting.

The security guard was done here. He hadn't picked up on anything Artemis had. "Run along boys. Either buy something from the concession stands or get to your seats."

As Artemis and Tyler entered the area where the court and people were, Tyler said, "Thank you," and handed back the ticket. "I owe you big time."

"Yes, you do." What? He wasn't going to deny it.

When Artemis got back to his seat, Mr. Frome was too busy cheering (One of his star players made a basket.) to ask why Artemis had been gone for so long. The boy scanned the area for Tyler, but there were too many people. There was no way to pick him out from the crowd. The time dragged on and on. To Artemis it felt like hours even though it had been less than one. The buzzer rang and the players exited the court.

"Finally, it's over," Artemis rejoiced.

Mr. Frome laughed good-naturedly. "It's not over yet. It's only half time."

XXXXXXX

Phew! Time to take a nap. I'm beat.

Long enough? That was 9 pages typed.


	6. VI

I'm back. And here is the chapter I promised you.

I am going to temporarily ease away from Artemis in this chapter. This one's told from Bradon's point of view. Probably not as much Artemis as you all would like, but I promise it will all lead up to something Artemis related next chapter.

Dedication: For saturnz-moonlit-beauty. Thank you for your multiple reviews!

WARNING: This chapter is rated T for mature language. I've kept the bad words to a minimum so far, but this chapter is a different story. I had to do the rating thing just to be safe.

XXXXXXX

The next day, Bradon was running laps in gym, and doing well, he might add. He wasn't on any sports teams, but he enjoyed playing them, so he didn't mind P.E. Having it first hour wasn't appealing. He'd only woken up thirty minutes ago, for Pete's sake! But he could deal with it.

Artemis was sitting in the bleachers comfortably. It was the strangest thing. That morning, the school received an e-mail from Artemis' old school saying he had filled all his gym requirements, and there was a mistake in the original transcript. How could someone have taken a high school gym class when this is their first year of high school? It didn't make sense, but the faculty said the e-mail was valid, so it had to be right. Right?

Whatever happened, Artemis would be transferred to another class by next week.

xxxxxxx

Bradon walked through the door of the Physical Science classroom third hour. He flashed Mrs. Maxwell a cheery smile as she sat behind her desk. The gesture wasn't returned. He took his seat and class began.

Mrs. Maxwell passed out textbooks. Was it Bradon's imagination or was his textbook the oldest, rattiest one of them all? Then they opened up to chapter three, section one. Bradon's hand shot in the air.

"Yes?" Mrs. Maxwell inquired, impatiently.

"Why are we starting on chapter three?"

She didn't answer immediately, as if debating whether his question was worth answering. "Because, Mr. Frome, our curriculum begins with electricity, and that is what chapter three focuses on."

"But why don't you start on chapter one?" he wondered. "Wouldn't it make more sense to go in order?"

Mrs. Maxwell squinted. "That's enough. This is your first warning. If you continue to ask irrelevant questions, I will send you to the office."

"Do irrelevant questions bother you?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. His classmates found is amusing. His teacher did not.

"Second warning. If I hear one more word come out of your mouth, you're out of here. Do I make myself clear?"

Bradon nodded, lips pressed tight. He shared a smirk with the other kids at his table. Mrs. Maxwell started her lesson talking about electrical currents and their flow through…blah blah…the electrons jump…yadda yadda…if you cut off the flow…boring, this is, boring.

Ten minutes later, Bradon raised his hand. Mrs. Maxwell pointedly ignored him. So, he raised his hand higher. Still, she didn't seem to see him, so it only makes sense for him to start waving his arm back and forth wildly.

Twenty minutes of desperately trying to get her attention finally paid off. She sighed. "I said not another word, Brendon."

"It's Bradon. Bray-duhn," he lowered his hand. "And it's really important."

"What?" she asked suspiciously.

"I have to use the facilities," he said, deadly serious.

"You should have gone before class started."

"If you don't let me leave, fine. It's your classroom. But I'm not cleaning up the mess."

"Ugg!" one girl exclaimed. "That is disgusting!"

"Go," Mrs. Maxwell ordered like it was her idea in the first place. "But make sure you sign out."

Bradon put his signature on the sign out list that every teacher had by their door and took off into the hall. He hadn't been kidding earlier. He practically ran to the nearest bathroom. He took much more time making his way back.

As he passed by classrooms with open doors, the students in them always watched as he went by. Like it was so unusual for a student to be in the hall during class. Next time he should do a little dance or something, make it worth their time.

In between the bathroom and Mrs. Maxwell's domain was the office. He glanced through the glass window on the door, and something caught his eye. On the wall was an area for brochures and flyers. He wondered if there was anything interesting. Hmm…Mrs. Maxwell would want him back under her supervision as soon as possible. That settled it.

The computer room was across from the office. A couple eyes were on him as he entered. He was now in an area with a copier and other doors leading to the principle, vice principle, secretaries, and counselors' offices. Bradon shuffled through the brochures. They were all for colleges and stuff. Whatever. There was a flyer for an animal shelter trying to give pets good homes. Cool.

Bradon had always wanted a dog. He would show that to his mom. Maybe she would finally agree. He pulled out the flyer, folded it, and stuffed it in his pocket.

He didn't move for a second. Then he remembered. _Oh, yeah. Science._

xxxxxxx

The lunch lady looked at Bradon expectantly.

"Nachos, please."

She handed him a tray of nachos. Behind him, blonde-haired Chester ordered cheese sticks.

"It should be illegal to give homework on the first week of school," Chester complained. "I already have, like, an hour's worth."

"That sucks," Bradon sympathized.

"Don't you have any homework?"

Bradon shrugged. "Probably."

"Dude, you're gonna fail again if you keep that attitude," Chester said, matter-of-factly.

Bradon just shrugged again.

Someone tapped. Him on the shoulder. He turned around to be face to face with the principle. "Hi."

"Bradon Frome?"

Bradon nodded.

"Follow me."

"Why?"

The principle looked solemn. "Don' pretend you don't know."

"What am I pretending I don't know? Because I'm not sure."

"You are already in enough trouble as it is. You're just asking for more."

"Wait-what? More?" Bradon repeated.

"Come on, Bradon. I want to get this over with as much as you do," he turned, indicating Bradon should come along.

Bradon abandoned his tray and followed him away from the lunch line. Chester shot him a look as if to say, "What's going on?" Bradon raised his arms in an "I'm not sure" way.

The walk to the office was silent. Bradon was seriously confused. It sounded like he'd done something wrong. But he couldn't think of anything bad enough worth a principle escort. Maybe that flyer wasn't free. He'd give it back. The principle led him into his personal office and sat behind his desk which held a little "Principle Wincher" plaque.

"Earlier in the day, I left my office to run a few errands. When I came back, I found a little surprise."

Bradon blinked, no clue where this was going.

Principle Wincher continued his story. "It seems someone came in here without permission, typed up a nice little message using my e-mail, and left the screen up for me to see on my return."

He turned his computer monitor so it faced Bradon. The boy read:

Fuck this dumb school. The teachers can all go to hell. This place should be shut down. It's terribly run and has shitty rules. Learn how to run a damn school!

Bradon let out a long, low whistle. Then, he couldn't help it, he laughed.

The principle cleared his throat, "You think this is funny, but it is very serious."

Bradon sobered up at once. "Yeah…why are you showing this to me?"

"I have a number of sources saying you did this."

Bradon was shocked. "W-what? I didn't do it."

"A handful of students saw you go into the office. Your teacher, Mrs. Maxwell, informed me that you were very eager to leave her classroom."

"You'd be eager to leave, too, if you'd been holding it in for half an hour," Bradon defended. "I used the toilet!"

"Then you went to the office at the same time as when I was away," Principle Wincher added.

_Okay, this looks bad. Think. Think! Got it!_

"All I did was pick up a flyer, you know, the ones right outside your door. I'll show you." Bradon raided his pocket for the piece of paper. The principle waited expectantly. Bradon removed his hands from his pockets empty handed. "It…it must have fallen out…"

"Take a seat."

xxxxxxx

Bradon was sitting in the chair opposite the principle's desk. He did not look in his mother's direction when she entered the office, not wanting to know how angry she was. Principle Wincher stood to shake her hand. "I'm sorry to call you in like this."

He went on to explain everything that happened and even showed her the computer screen. Mrs. Frome was civil and polite but became oddly silent when she read the e-mail. Bradon focused his eyes on the floor the whole time.

"While it was probably only meant as a joke of some sort, this could easily be taken as a threat," the principle said. "The most severe thing I could do is expel him-"

Bradon felt his insides freeze up.

"-but I won't go that far. Especially since this is only his second day here, it wouldn't be fair to not give him a second chance. On the other hand, he is suspended for four days, and there will be a mark on his school record for reference, in case of…future mishaps. That's as low as I'm willing to go."

xxxxxxx

Not a single word was exchanged on the car ride home. It wasn't until they were safely in the living room that Mrs. Frome released what she was obviously holding in ever since she got the first phone call.

"What were you thinking, Bradon? I hope you're proud. You got yourself suspended. On the second day of school, too. The second day! You just can't help yourself, can you?"

Bradon looked straight into her eyes. "I didn't do it."

She didn't believe him. "Of course you did. This is exactly the kind of prank you would pull, only you went way too far this time!"

"What? I would never do anything like that!" Bradon was insulted.

"And yet, you did!"

"Were you listening to me earlier? I said I didn't do it!"

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Yes!"

"I've warned you about swearing in this house many times," she scolded. "You don't seem to care that I disapprove. It would be like you to write that."

Bradon was furious, now. "Hello! If you determined guilt based on kids who swear, only about four kids in the school would be innocent! And I don't even do it that much, way less than most boys my age."

Mrs. Frome folded her arms. "I've heard you use the f-word."

_Oh, yeah. _That _settled it. Not._

"The word is fuck, Mom. Just say it." Pause.

"Go to your room," she ordered, dangerously quiet.

Bradon took the steps two at a time to the basement bedroom and threw himself on his bed.

xxxxxxx

A couple hours later, Chase came down the stairs and threw his backpack on his own bed.

"Is school over?" Bradon asked, getting into a sitting position.

"Yeah," his brother responded. "I heard you cussed out the principle."

Bradon let out a noise somewhere between a growl and a sigh. "I didn't do it. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Yeah, whatever you say." He clearly didn't believe him. Chase went back up the stairs, and Bradon followed in his wake.

"I'm a victim of circumstance," he complained. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like in all those mystery movies. I was framed!"

They were in the kitchen now. Chase pulled a Pepsi out of the fridge and headed into the living room, Bradon right behind him. "Really, it wasn't my fault. The real perpetrator is still out there, not grounded, not suspended. They're roaming free. Where's the justice in this world?"

Chase was unmoved. "Stop following me," he said.

Just then, Robin and Artemis came in through the front door. Robin's eyes lit up when she saw Bradon. "There you are! We couldn't find you after school. Where were you?"

"In his room, the same place he's going to go back to, right now," Mrs. Frome appeared.

Robin frowned. "Why? What happened?"

Mrs. Frome explained the day's events.

Robin's eyes went wide with shock. "Bradon!" Artemis remained quiet, his expression unreadable.

"I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I didn't do it." Maybe the phrase would be more effective if it was said multiple times in a row.

Robin looked at her mother, who said, "There were witnesses."

"You can't argue with witnesses," Robin said apologetically.

"I'm not lying," Bradon sounded desperate. "But if you think I am, then I don't want to talk to you anyway."

Robin looked stung, but Bradon knew she deserved it.

You see, Artemis was still so new here that there are certain aspects about him that the Fromes hadn't picked up on yet. For example, if he had been at home with his parents and Butler, they would have noticed the look on Artemis' face and realized that he was silently analyzing the situation before him. And usually when Artemis analyzed something, it led to a conclusion. And that conclusion led to a plan that only someone like him could come up with…

xxxxxxx

For some reason, I am very nervous about this chapter. I'm not sure how my audience will respond. I almost don't want to know what you guys think.

Artemis WILL be the main character again in the next chapter. I promise.


	7. VII

I just started re-reading Artemis Fowl (book 1). It's weird to go all the way back to the beginning, especially after just reading The Time Paradox. But I'm enjoying it, and it reminds me why I like this series so much!

A big thank you to kasplosion for answering my fanfiction questions a couple chapters ago. Thanks!

xxxxxxx

Artemis sat in a chair in his room. He hated to admit that he was slightly bored. There was nothing to do around here. He'd already called home. He spent an hour on his computer. He even ventured outside (very briefly) before concluding he had nowhere to go.

At 6:14 p.m. there was a knock on the door. Bradon swung it open, slammed it shut behind himself, and sat on Artemis' bed in a huff.

"Is there a particular reason why you're here?" Artemis asked, dryly.

Bradon huffed again. "I have nowhere else to go. I can't even sulk in my own room, because I have to share it. Can you believe Chase said I was interrupting him?"

"I can't imagine why."

"Like he's so busy. Even Robin thinks I'm a liar. I don't want to have to deal with any of them, but I'm not allowed to leave the house. This is my only sanctuary. It _did_ used to be my room, you know."

Artemis sat patiently while Bradon ranted. When he was sure he was finished he said, "I believe you."

Bradon perked up. "Say what?"

"I know you did not write that e-mail," Artemis clarified.

Bradon faltered, searching for words. He finally came up with, "Really?"

Artemis nodded, but did not elaborate. Bradon perched at the end of the bed. "But why? No one else does. There were even supposed 'witnesses'."

"I know. I was one of those witnesses," Artemis told him. In response to Bradon's confused expression he continued, "I was in the computer room across from the office. I saw you go in and out."

"But you just said you believe me."

"I repeat, I saw you go in and out, but nothing in between. No one did. There was no real proof of what you did. People just jumped to conclusions. Unfortunately, innocent until proven guilty does not apply outside your judicial court."

Bradon was elated. "Yes, someone on my side! How come you believe me, but no one else does?"

"Most people are generally easy to read," Artemis said with a wave of his hand. "There are certain behaviors one unconsciously shows when they are guilty that gives them away, none of which you did."

"Cool," Bradon decided. "So, what do we do now?"

"We?"

"Yeah, I mean, aren't you going to vouch for me?" he asked hopefully.

Artemis brushed some dust off his pants. "And what do you expect to happen? Everyone will change their minds simply because you have one classmate on your side?"

Bradon looked defeated. "So…that's it? I have to live through this punishment I don't deserve?"

An emotion spread through Artemis that he couldn't quite place. Was it sympathy? No, no, just pity. The Irish boy sighed. "I'll tell you what…"

Bradon listened expectantly.

"I'm going to help you find the real culprit. Things are so uneventful around here, I'd agree to do just about anything. Who knows? This could be interesting."

"You're helping me?" Bradon couldn't believe his ears. "I love you, dude! But what exactly are you expecting to do? It could have been anyone."

"Which makes it all the more challenging." It was time for Artemis to put his genius to work.

xxxxxxx

The next morning, before school, Artemis explained to Tyler what he wanted him to do.

"You're not serious," Tyler mumbled.

"You owe me, remember?" Artemis reminded him.

"Yeah, but I don't owe Bradon," he shot back. "I've never even talked to him. This is-"

"What I want you to do," Artemis cut him off.

Tyler grumbled. "Why do you care, anyway? Don't you think you're risking a little much over one little suspension?"

"Probably," Artemis agreed.

"You don't even know if he really is innocent."

"That's what I plan on proving."

"You're crazy."

Artemis smirked. "Not crazy. This is the type of thing I do."

"This is what you do in your free time? Sneak into places you don't belong?"

"Trust me, this is nothing compared to what I've been through. Honestly, it's not like we're stealing from a high security vault."

"Have you done that?"

"I am only asking you to keep watch."

Tyler obviously disapproved but didn't protest again. They stayed in the hallway when the tardy bell rang and all the stragglers made their way to class. When they were sure no one was around, Artemis went in the office and knocked on Principle Wincher's door. "Come in."

Artemis opened the door and put on an innocent face. "Hello. Miss Phoebe needs to see you in her room straight away."

"Did she say why?" the principle questioned.

"Just that it's urgent."

"Alright. Thank you, young man." He put some papers back in a drawer and headed for Miss Phoebe's room. Of course, she didn't really need him. Artemis just chose that classroom, because it was the furthest away from the office. Tyler showed up behind him. "Okay, he's gone."

"Good, now shut the door, and keep anyone else from coming in here," Artemis ordered.

"This is wrong."

"So is sneaking into a professional basketball game," Artemis threatened. "Or maybe you forgot. The police would know."

It was a low blow, but it did the trick. Tyler obediently stood guard in front of the closed door while Artemis took a seat at the principle's desk. The computer was already logged in, making things much easier for Artemis.

He opened up Principle Wincher's e-mail and clicked on the deleted folder. He opened the most recent 'untitled' message. Jackpot. Even though Artemis had not known what the e-mail had said, he was fairly certain this was it. Artemis had never fully appreciated a deleted folder before. It was pointless. If you wanted to delete something why would it automatically be put in another folder? Any random person could still read it…

Artemis checked the time the e-mail was written, the whole point of coming in here in the first place. 10:07 a.m. Okay. He closed out of e-mail and made sure everything looked as it had before he sat down. He left, and Tyler followed him into the hall, where they kept going to make it look like they had a destination.

"So…what?" Tyler pried.

"Whoever really wrote that e-mail did it at 10:07 a.m." Artemis said, taking on a professional manner. "Our next goal is to find out who was not in their classrooms at that time. You are aware that all students must sign in and out whenever they leave the room?"

Tyler nodded.

"We need to look at every sign out sheet in this school and see who was out at 10:07 a.m. yesterday," Artemis finished.

"What?" Tyler complained. "Why do I have to do this?"

Artemis frowned. "I could do it myself, but it would take much longer. With your help we could get this done today. It's not so hard. Just peek in a room and glance at the sheet for names. The sheet is always kept right by the door. Are you really incapable of doing this?"

"You're confusing incapable with unwilling," Tyler sighed. "But, fine, I'll do it."

"Good. We'll compare notes after school."

They split up to go to their individual first hours.

Tyler departed with, "You made me tardy. I hope you're happy."

Artemis _was_ quite pleased.

xxxxxxx

For the rest of the day during the five minutes between classes, Artemis went in every room he passed by to check the sign out sheet. Anyone who signed out before 10:07 and signed back in after was taken note of. Unfortunately, when Artemis checked in Mrs. Maxwell's room, Bradon fell under that category. Not helpful. As the final bell rang, Artemis found Tyler, and together, they collected six names. That narrowed it down considerably.

xxxxxxx

After school, Artemis headed straight downstairs. Chase was pulling papers out of his backpack while Bradon sat on the floor, banging his head on the wall. "I'm bored."

"Wash the dished like Mom told you to and you wouldn't have that problem," Chase said without looking at him. Bradon blew a strand of hair out of his face.

"Sorry to interrupt," said Artemis. "But I need to speak with Bradon."

"Hear that?" Bradon said to his brother. "He wants to talk to me, unlike you."

"I really don't care," Chase passed Artemis on his way out the room.

"I have been so bored all day," Bradon said as if they'd been conversing for hours. "I even played some of Chase's video games. Don't tell him."

"Today was quite busy for me," Artemis informed him. "But there is no longer a doubt in my mind of your innocence."

"You have proof?"

"For myself anyway," he said. "That message was typed at 10:07 a.m. I clearly recall checking the clock some time after you left the office, and it said 10:05. Whoever did this went in after you left."

Bradon bobbed his head excitedly. "There! That's proof! Go tell everybody."

Artemis stayed where he was. "While it convinced me, I am afraid that information alone is not enough to relieve you of punishment. My thinking I know what time you left the office is not concrete evidence. They could just say I was mistaken. There was only a two minute time difference. No, your best bet would still be to find out who the real guilty party is."

"Do you know who it is?" Bradon asked.

"No, but I do have it narrowed down to six suspects." Artemis pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Bradon, who scanned the list.

"Do you know any of those people?" questioned Artemis.

"Not really," Bradon said unsurely. "He's in my math class. I think she's a cheerleader."

"Any of them likely to have done something like that e-mail?"

"Not Sierra," Bradon said. "Cross her off your list."

"You're sure?" Artemis confirmed.

Bradon was positive. "She's such a good girl it's not even funny. I think she's friends with Robin, actually. Makes sense. They both have squeaky clean histories."

"Alright, I will forget her for now," said Artemis. What about the others?"

Bradon looked at the list again. "I don't know them well enough."

Artemis understood. "Five suspects, then."

xxxxxxx

_Why am I doing this?_ Artemis asked himself as he was falling asleep that night. Did he really care about Bradon? Not likely. Maybe it was just the excitement of once again proving how smart he was. Maybe it was a nice distraction from the fact that he was sleeping in someone else's house…

The problem with being new is you don't know anyone in your own grade, let alone the entire school. So Artemis had to ask around a little bit, but it didn't take long for him to put a face to the five names.

Now was the hard part, narrowing down five names to one.

xxxxxxx

Kind of short, but not really. Good? No? I'm going as fast as I can. Every other review says Update Soon! And I'm trying to. This Chapter took less than 2 days. I think that's pretty good!


	8. VIII

Sorry this update is a few days late. It's been what? 4 days? Okay, that's not so bad, but I still could've done it sooner. Without getting into details, I have been very distracted and not in a writing mood lately. So, hopefully you all appreciate this chapter. It wasn't easy, but I forced myself to do it for you all…

I sound so pessimistic. Sorry, guys. Don't mean to. Thx for reading!!

xxxxxxx

Previously, I may have said narrowing down five names to one would be the hard part. Let me clarify. It would be hard for someone like you and me. But we're not talking about us. We're talking about Artemis Fowl II. Now, that's something else entirely…

Artemis once again sat in a chair in his room, but this time he wasn't bored. He had work to do. And unlike most kids, he had no problem with work over the weekend. Artemis' expensive, high-tech, and surprisingly light laptop rested open on his legs in front of him. If Artemis knew one thing about the internet it was that there is no such thing as privacy. Anything put on the world wide web is accessible, if you know what you're doing.

The first name on the suspect list was Bridget Virgil, as good a place to start as any. Artemis searched the name to see what he could come up with. Not ten minutes later he'd found she had an e-mail account with AOL. Now was time for a serious invasion of privacy. Artemis accessed every e-mail sent and received by her from the past month, which was a lot.

Artemis scanned over each message in turn, looking for key phrases related to the school. He had no intention of reading everything, especially if she was innocent. He only hoped the guilty person would be stupid enough to share their plan with friends. Most kids wouldn't be able to keep acts like this to themselves, especially if they got away with it.

After a while, Artemis found something of interest. Bridget sent an e-mail to her cousin that said:

I tried to get my mom to let me transfer to your school for my senior year, but she said no. How could she do that? She knows how much I hate this damn school. The principle doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Mullborn High doesn't appeal to its student's needs at all. You're so lucky you get to go to Westfield.

Bridget's cousin responded, sympathizing, but after that the subject was dropped. The rest of the e-mails were random teenage girl stuff, no need to go into detail. Still, that one e-mail was a very excellent lead. Artemis went through the same motions with the other four students, but none yielded such promising results.

It was time to have a chat with Miss Virgil.

xxxxxxx

Artemis caught her putting her backpack into her locker. She had blonde hair and wore a t-shirt and jeans, nothing about her made her stand out from all the rest of the student body. Artemis approached her.

"Greetings, Bridget."

The girl gave him a funny look. "Greetings? No one talks like that. Who are you?"

"I am Artemis Fowl II."

Bridget paused, recognition in her eyes. "Oh, you're the kid from Ireland. I can hear it in your voice. I'd heard there would be a foreign exchanged student this year."

Artemis kept his face even. He didn't like that she had called him a kid, even if she was three years older and two inches taller. "Yes, there's something I wish to speak to you about."

"What?" she asked, confused.

Artemis said, "Do you know a Bradon Frome?"

"Never heard of him. Does he go to Mullborn?"

"Yes. Actually, just the other day he was accused of leaving an inappropriate note for Principle Wincher."

Bridget suddenly became more alert. Artemis went with that, "Oh, you're aware of the incident? It was terrible. A lot of vulgar language. Bradon was blamed. Of course, he says he didn't do it."

Bridget swallowed. "I…I hadn't heard. Did he get in trouble?"

"Four days' suspension."

"Oh, well, I got to go," she quickly walked away without looking back.

Artemis would have none of that. He caught up to her and kept pace. Time for some blind accusations. "What I find interesting," he said. "Is that you don't know who Bradon Frome is, yet you're familiar with what he supposedly did."

Bridget scratched her nose. "I never said that."

"The look on your face said it all."

"I don't know anything about any e-mail."

"Who said anything about an e-mail?"

Bridget froze in her tracks. He was right. He'd said 'note' earlier, and she'd just giver herself away. She swore. Avoiding eye contact she maneuvered around Artemis and walked away in a nervous hurry.

Artemis let her go this time. He'd gotten from her what he needed. Guilt had just been assigned. How convenient that it was the first person on his list, too. It's _never_ the first person. Never say never.

xxxxxxx

When Bradon's suspension was over, he walked the halls of his school with new appreciation. "I've never been happier to go to school," he said. "I was dying in that house."

Artemis was next to him, searching for a certain face in the sea of students. This part of the plan wasn't his idea, but Bradon wanted to do it. His choice. Who was Artemis to stop him? Anyway, the plan. Then he saw her. Bridget was standing with a group of friends, talking about something completely idiotic, he assumed.

He pointed her out. "There she is. Fire away." He stood back to watch the show.

Some people might wait until Bridget finished her conversation. Some might pull her aside so they'd have some privacy. Bradon stepped right up to her and started talking as if her friends weren't even there. Even the fact that he was a freshman with a bunch of seniors didn't bother him. "So, you're Bridget?"

"Can I help you?" she said with distaste.

"Yes," Bradon said. "I believe _you_ did something_ I_ got in trouble for. It involves a message you typed on Mr. Wincher's computer."

Bridget tried to remain cool but failed miserably. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar," he accused.

"How would you know?" she shot back.

Bradon fumed. " I just do! We both know I'm right, alright? So, stop playing dumb."

Bridget pursed her lips. "Okay, say you're right. What do you want from me?"

Bradon pretended to think about it. "Hmmm…How about you say you're sorry then go turn yourself in?"

She snorted in disbelief. "Not gonna happen."

"But that's not fair!"

Newsflash. "Life's not fair."

"Then _I'll_ turn you in," Bradon threatened.

"With what evidence?"

"With…with, um…I'll tell them…" he trailed off, realizing he had no real proof.

Bridget talked to him like one would a slow toddler. "You're not going to tell anyone. If you do I'll deny everything. Leave it alone. It's what's best."

"Female dog."

She was taken aback. "What?"

"That's what you are. The way you throw around cuss words I expected you'd know what that means," Bradon snapped and trudged back over to Artemis.

"That accomplished a lot," an amused Artemis commented.

"Shut up," said, Bradon, but there was no heart in it. "I thought once I knew who it was, they would get in trouble and everyone would come groveling back to beg me for forgiveness."

"I'm afraid that won't happen," said Artemis. " If we turned her in, we'd have to explain how we know it was her, and I don't suspect they'd think too kindly of my methods."

"So what was the point of figuring out it was her?" Bradon groaned.

"You think we've reached a dead end." It was a statement, not a question.

Bradon picked up on his tone. There was another idea Artemis wasn't sharing. "There's something else. What is it?"

Artemis flashed his dangerous smile. "The way I see it, there are two options. One, clear you own name. Obviously, that isn't very likely. Or two, make things even by making her name as dirty as yours. After all, it's only fair to return the favor."

Bradon took that in slowly. "So, you're saying…revenge."

"I suppose, if you want to put it that way."

Now that the idea was planted in Bradon's head, Artemis was going to let it simmer there for a while. His work here was done. He'd completed what he'd been asked to do, find the culprit. It'd be interesting to see what Bradon classifies as appropriate revenge. He wasn't exactly bright, so it wasn't going to be extremely impressive. It could be amusing, though. Yes, Artemis would sit this one out. He could almost see the wheels turning in Bradon's fragile brain.

xxxxxxx

Later that evening, Artemis stood by Chase, watching him play some video game.

"What is it about this that you find entertaining?" Artemis asked skeptically. Chase didn't show any sign that he knew Artemis was there, so Artemis said, "Maybe no one told you, but when you are asked a question, you are supposed to answer it."

Chase's character on the video game was on a big ship in the ocean. He was on the top deck. He jumped on to the roof above where the captain steers. Sitting there was a little white box with a red cross on it, which he quickly picked up to boost his life.

"What a ludicrous location for a first aid kit," Artemis complained. "How in the world would it get up there in the first place? That is a completely unrealistic place for that to be."

Ignoring him, Chase moved around the ship. Suddenly, a soldier jumped up from behind a crate and shot at him. Chase effortlessly shot the soldier dead, receiving only minor life loss.

Artemis spluttered, "W-what? What was that? That was the worst hiding place I've ever seen! No professional would take cover there. Behind the crate. Please. Not only was it an obvious place to hide, but if you had approached from the opposite direction, he would have been totally exposed! If Butler were here, he would be appalled!"

Chase went below deck and into a room that was empty except for a safe on the far side. He ran to it, replacing the gun he was holding with a key. The safe immediately swung open.

"Is that the key you found in the lifeboat?" Artemis asked. "What moron puts the key to their safe in a lifeboat? Completely out in the open for anyone to just stroll by and pick up! And if anyone really wanted to protect such an important safe, they would have more than a mere key keeping it locked. There weren't any DNA scanners or even a combination! Preposterous!"

Chase pressed the pause button and rounded on Artemis. "Would you _shut up_?"

"I am simply pointing out the painfully obvious flaws."

"Let me point you some of _your_ flaws-"

Robin came in the living room wide eyed. It was then that Artemis realized how their voices had been gradually escalating. Robin shook her head like it wasn't worth the trouble of asking and stuck her head in the kitchen. "Mom, I'm going out for ice cream."

"That's fine. Be back before dark," Mrs. Frome's voice carried from in the kitchen. Then, "Why don't you take Chase and Artemis with you?" (She didn't mention Bradon because he was out with friends, his first day not being grounded.)

"No," the boys said simultaneously. "Just buy me an Oreo one," Chase added. "I'm in the middle of my game."

Mrs. Frome came into view, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "You're always in the middle of your game. Go out with your sister. And Artemis, dear, you could use the fresh air. It pains me to see you always cooped up in that bedroom."

And so that's how Artemis got stuck walking, again. There was no getting out of it. Mrs. Frome would not let him stay home, but she also would not give them a ride to wherever the ice cream was. (He would soon find out it's three blocks away!) However she was nice enough to give them the money to pay for their ice cream. Oh, joy.

As the three of them set out, Chase was, of course, silent, mourning the time lost playing his precious video game. Artemis was pitying his poor feet, which have been getting more use than they're used to. Robin, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself.

"What are you so happy about?" Artemis asked her.

She shrugged. "I just am. It's a nice day. It's not often you don't have to wear a jacket this time of year." The next block was quiet, then she asked, "Do you have a Baskin Robins back by where you live in Ireland?"

"No."

"Oh…" she stopped, not sure what else to say.

Two blocks later they reached Baskin Robins. The bell rang lightly as they opened the door and approached the counter. There were dozens of different combinations to choose from, very colorful in all.

"I want Oreo," Chase repeated.

"Nothing for me," Artemis said.

"Why not?" Robin asked incredulously.

"I don't want any."

"Everyone wants ice cream."

Artemis shook his head. "Not me."

"You don't like it or what?"

Artemis racked his brain. "I can't remember ever trying it. I might have when I was quite young, but I've grown out of such things by now."

Robin laughed. "Grown out of ice cream? Come on. You've gotta try something."

Artemis peered down at his options, different flavors all in large tubs behind a glass wall. There were pinks and blues and rainbow striped. Honestly! How childish.

He sighed. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to taste the vanilla. No toppings."

"Vanilla. Are you sure?" Robin ventured. "That sort of…"

"Boring," Chase supplied. His sister shot him a look.

"My favorite's mint chocolate chip," she suggested. "Why don't you get that?"

"Do I have to?"

"It's better than vanilla," she promised.

Artemis wasn't so sure, but he gave in. "Agreed, then."

Robin used the money her mom had given her to buy two mint chocolate chips and one Oreo ice cream, all in cups. ("Never get cones, or it'll drip all over your hand," she explained.) As they left the building and walked back towards home, Artemis cautiously poked at the green ice cream with a tiny, plastic spoon. Disgusting.

In about three seconds, Chase was already halfway done. Robin was eating at a more leisurely pace, savoring it. Artemis noticed her eyes on him, probably noticing that he hadn't eaten any yet, so he took a tiny spoonful and put it in his mouth, expecting the worst. At first, all he felt was cold, then it melted on his tongue and he swallowed.

After a second of debating he commented, "It doesn't taste like mint."

Robin took another bite of hers. "No. It tastes like ice cream, but it's good, right?"

"It isn't…horribly bad," he hesitated.

Robin smiled sweetly, "You like it."

Artemis would never admit it in a million years.


	9. IX

Hi readers. Thank you for all the reviews I've gotten so far. You're so kind. It makes me feel good. :)

Here is my next installment. I hope it entertains you…

Warning: One very small TTP spoiler.

xxxxxxx

All week there was one thing on everyone's mind at Mullborn High School. That one thing was none other than Homecoming. It's all anyone wanted to talk about. After all, it was the biggest dance of the year (if you're not a Senior, in which case it's Prom). Artemis, who wasn't big on social gatherings in general, found it rather annoying. The dance was still weeks away! What could they possible have to talk about? Lots, apparently.

He was relieved when it was finally time to go home Friday. An entire weekend free of Homecoming gossip. Bliss. When he got home, however, he got an unpleasant surprise that made him wish he were back at school. When he, Bradon, and Robin came through the front door they found Mr. Frome sitting on the couch, waiting for them.

"Dad!" Robin said. "Why aren't you at work?"

He chuckled. "I came home early today. Your mother and I have a surprise for you all."

The waited expectantly.

"We're going to the cottage this weekend," he announced.

"Alright!" Bradon celebrated.

"We wanted to get over there one more time before it got all cold and snowy," Mr. Frome shivered.

"Pardon me," Artemis interjected. "But what is this cottage we're talking about?"

"Oh, sorry," apologized Mr. Frome. He went on to explain that the family owned a small cottage out in a rural are with lots of trees and a small lake. They often spent weekends over there for short vacations.

Well, this was the worst news Artemis had ever heard. Was the world out to punish him? His current residing place wasn't miserable enough? He had to go to a mini-house in the middle of nowhere!

"Go pack!" Mr. Frome said cheerfully, ignorant to Artemis' displeasure.

xxxxxxx

Mr. Frome drove the minivan while bobbing his head to his own internal music. Mrs. Frome sat beside him in the passenger seat. Robin and Bradon were in the seats behind them, and Artemis and Chase took seat in the very back.

They were on a highway, passing by tree after endless tree. It had been twenty minutes since Artemis had seen any sign of civilization. Not a good thing. Chase had his head buried in a gameboy. Bradon turned around in his seat and asked, "What game you playing, bro?"

"Supermario World 2," he responded without losing concentration.

"Haven't you beaten that, like, eight times?" Bradon wondered.

Chase shook his head, eyes never leaving the handheld system, "I can't beat Bowser."

"Is that the very last level?"

Chase didn't answer. Bradon took the hint that the conversation was over and faced forward again. Artemis had been noticing this a lot lately. Whenever someone asked Chase a direct question and he ignored them, they just left him alone. And Chase knew it, too. That's why he did it.

Mrs. Frome turned on the radio to some song Artemis had never heard before, and certainly didn't like. He could easily have banged his head against the window, but he refrained.

xxxxxxx

The cottage wasn't as bad as Artemis had imagined. There was at least indoor plumbing and electricity. There was an open yard area around the cabin, otherwise it was surrounded by trees on three sides. On one side was a small lake with a dock. It had a peaceful aura about it.

When everyone was getting settled, Artemis went outside and pulled out his cell phone. No service. Great. He pocketed it just as Bradon joined him on the grass.

"I asked my mom if it was okay if I go out and explore," he said. "And she said fine. You wanna come?"

"Explore?"

"Wander, whatever."

"Where?"

Bradon seemed confused by this. "You know, in the woods." He motioned towards the trees.

"What are we looking for?"

Bradon sighed impatiently. "Nothing. Everything. Haven't you ever explored in the woods before?"

Then it dawned on him that Artemis hadn't, and his mouth fell open. "No way! That's it. You're coming."

"I'd rather stay here. I'm not a nature fan."

"It's no fun alone."

"Get your siblings to go with you."

"They're losers. They don't want to."

"Neither do I."

"That's because you've never done it before," Bradon said, then added, "What else have you got to do?"

_Nothing_, Artemis thought. _Absolutely nothing._

"Alright, I'll go with you."

Pleased, Bradon said, "Cool. Follow me. We can go a way I've never gone before." And he set off into the trees.

It was hard travelling. There was no path. Numerous rocks and plants were in the way that needed stepping around. There were fallen branches everywhere. So, progress was slow but steady. Artemis chose to walk directly behind Bradon, that way making him do all the work.

Bradon made conversation, "I've seen deer in here before. One snake. It was tiny, though. Once, I found this rock. It was the hugest rock I've ever seen. It was fun climbing, but that was when I was, like, five, so it's probably not as big as I remember it…"

_Ooh, a rock_, mused Artemis to himself. _Astounding._

Bradon was quiet for a second, as if debating asking what was on his mind. "So, Artemis…who you asking to the Homecoming dance?"

"What? No one," he replied sharply.

Bradon smirked. "Got a girlfriend back in Ireland who would be jealous?"

Artemis reddened, though not sure why. "No, I do not," he said forcefully.

"Okay," he held up his hands in surrender. "I was just curious, that's all. I don't know anything about Ireland, and I wondered if dating was the same over there."

"I suppose it is," Artemis was embarrassed. He wasn't used to talking about this kind of thing. "It's just something I, personally, have never partaken in."

"Never?" Bradon pried. "That's cool. Some people wait until they're older, but you've never kissed a girl or anything?"

Artemis immediately thought back to his latest fairy-related adventure. When Holly had kissed him…

His throat was suddenly dry, "That…is not your concern."

"You have! What was her name? Was she hot?"

That was the final straw. "This conversation is over."

Bradon backed down a little. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, dude. I had my first kiss when I was eight." Then he added, "Don't tell my mom."

Artemis didn't understand it. Why was he embarrassed? He couldn't explain it, but the whole conversation had been awkward for him. He couldn't care less about dances and kisses. It wasn't his first priority, let alone his hundredth. So why did it affect him so much? It must be puberty. He had no control over that, so it wasn't his fault. Why was he still thinking about it?!

Randomly, Bradon shrieked and maneuvered Artemis in front of him roughly, using him as a shield.

"_What_ are you doing?" Artemis demanded.

"Giant mutant spider tried to kill me!" he panicked.

Artemis saw it, not six feet away. Its web covered an impressive four foot radius, approximately. Right in the center, facing down, was a spider, three inches long if you include its legs. It was black and yellow with white spots. "It's a Garden Spider. Not poisonous. It would not be able to harm you."

"It attacked me!" the boy insisted.

"It did not move," Artemis stated.

"Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants, you go first from now on," he ordered. "I am _not_ accidentally bumping into one of those, no way."

"So, what you're saying," Artemis reworded. "Is that you'd rather _I_ come across anything deadly, giving _you_ time to run away."

"Sounds good."

Artemis exhaled. They gave a wide berth to the Garden Spider, by Bradon's request. An annoyed Artemis led the way, attempting to find a trail with little to no obstacles. Behind him, Bradon breathed heavily, still calming down from his 'near death' experience.

"That thing was enormous," he ranted. "It would have eaten me if I had given it the chance. Did you see it prepare to spring? I could have died!"

"Not likely," Artemis contradicted him.

They had been walking for quite a while, now. Bradon commented that he'd never been to this part of the woods before. A few minutes later and the trees were starting to clear out, Artemis noticed.

"What's that?" Bradon pointed ahead.

Artemis didn't see anything from where they were, but thirty more paces and they reached a small clearing. The first thing Artemis took note of was how good it felt to not have trees and bushes poking him on all sides. The second thing he took note of was the fact that there was an average two story house in the middle of the clearing. How peculiar.

They were still deep in the forest, nowhere near where people might go. It would appear this house was just placed there randomly. It was very old and not taken care of. It was probably abandoned decades ago. It gave the impression that it was unsturdy.

"What is _this_ doing here?" Bradon asked. "What a stupid place for a house."

"It is rather unheard of," Artemis tapped his chin, pondering possible explanations.

"It looks haunted," Bradon suggested. "We should go in."

"I am curious, myself," said Artemis. "But it is a little foreboding."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

They approached the house, opened the front door and went inside. Everything creaked with age; the door, the floor. There was plenty of dust and cobwebs on old furniture. Bradon blew on a windowsill, making dust fly up, forcing him into a coughing fit.

The place definitely had no one living in it but did at one time. Artemis admired the making of one of the chairs. You don't see craftsmanship like that anymore. Bradon, not so easily fascinated by furniture, wandered into the kitchen. Artemis heard him opening cupboards.

"There's no food in here!" he complained.

"You had better be careful," Artemis called back. "Garden Spiders are known to hide in small, dark spaces just like those old cupboards."

It was a flat out lie, but Artemis couldn't resist. It was worth it to hear Bradon yell in fear and the door slam to whichever cupboard he'd been holding open at the time. He came back to join Artemis, who kept his face perfectly straight.

"Who do you think lived here?" Bradon asked.

"Someone who wanted extreme privacy and was alive in the early to mid-twentieth century. Apart from that, I could only guess."

Bradon found a staircase and started climbing. "This is my best discovery yet," he said as each step squeaked ominously beneath his shoes. Artemis followed him up onto the second floor, being much more careful and making certain the stairs would support his weight first.

On the upper floor, Bradon went in a room. "Look a toilet!" he announced like he'd just found buried treasure. The next thing Artemis heard was flushing. "And it works!"

_The plumbing works?_ Artemis pondered. _This structure must not be _that_ old, then_.

Artemis chose his own room to go into. It was a bedroom that most likely belonged to a young girl, by the looks of it. There were white lace curtains framing the window, a bed with square pillows, and a dresser on which sat three dolls with curly hair and dresses.

"Did you know Robin is freaked out by dolls like that?" Bradon appeared behind Artemis. "She told me. She doesn't like their eyes. They look like they're going to blink at any second, like they'll come to life. I would make fun of her, but ever since she said that, the things have made me uncomfortable, too. They're creepy."

He didn't say so out loud, but Artemis agreed. The dolls did look like they would come alive at any moment. Not that he was scared. He knew it wouldn't happen. This was getting ridiculous. Artemis was feeling more and more like he was in the suspenseful part of a horror film. The calm before the storm. He mentally brushed away that notion.

He spotted a telescope by the window. Next to it was a pile of books on constellations, planets, and soforth.

"So, she was captivated by Astronomy," he looked through the telescope and into the night sky. There were no city lights to ruin the view. "Amazing. I've never seen so many stars."

"Stars?" Bradon processed what that meant and rushed to the window, alert. "Damn it! It's late. We are so dead. Mom's gonna kill us. Well, me anyway. I'm not sure what she'd do to you…we have to get back."

He hurried out of the room. It had been light out when they first left. They hadn't even noticed it steadily getting darker. The forest looked much less inviting at night. Spooky, if you will. But the boys didn't pay any attention that. They had bigger problems.

"You do know where you're going, right?" Artemis asked while trying to keep up with Bradon, who was speed walking.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled rudely. A minute later he groaned in frustration. "I just got out of trouble, too. Now, I'm going to get grounded _again_. Why does this always happen to me?!"

Artemis hadn't realized how far they'd gone. Even with the extra speed it was taking a lot of time to get back, during which it only got later. A howl sounded in the distance.

"Was that a dog?" Bradon asked hopefully.

"It was," Artemis said confidently. (Yes, it was really a dog. Artemis is never wrong.)

Artemis was having trouble keeping up the pace. His breathing became more strained. He was about to ask for a short break when the cottage came into view.

"Told you I knew where I was going," Bradon said bitterly, his mind on the punishment he was sure to get.

In the cottage all the lights were on. Once again Artemis was grateful to be out of the trees. He could use a warm shower and a comfortable bed. Yes, that would be good.

xxxxxxx

The Garden Spider is the name of an actual spider and can be found anywhere, even outside your own home! I'm personally scared of most spiders. I try not to be, I really do, but I can't help it. Hmph.

I kept jumping out of my chair when I was googling which spider I wanted to use in this chapter, and these big, close up pictures of spiders kept popping up.

There you go. A little background information of what went into making this chapter.


	10. X

I thought about it and I thought about it, and I couldn't figure out a good way to tie in the abandoned house to the story. So, sorry to anyone who was curious about that. I'm going to leave you hanging. Sometimes questions don't get answered. You must use your imagination…

xxxxxxx

Things didn't turn out as bad as Bradon had been expecting. Yes, his parents had been getting worried. After confirming they were okay, Mrs. Frome told them they weren't allowed in the woods the rest of the trip. Artemis was slightly put off by being punished by someone who wasn't even his mother, but she _was _giving him a place to live.

Bradon did some complaining. Artemis could tell he wanted to go back to the abandoned house again, but he never told his mom that's where they'd gone. In the end everybody went to sleep.

On Saturday morning, Mrs. Frome made a big breakfast. The delicious smell overwhelmed the entire cottage. Even Artemis had to admit the sausages tasted very good.

Around eleven o'clock-ish the boat was taken out. They had a small motor boat that they took onto the lake sometimes. It wasn't a very impressive sight, by Artemis' standards. It exceeded his expectations just by floating. He declined the invitation for a ride.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Frome coaxed.

"I'm sure."

So, Artemis stood on the wooden dock as Mr. Frome took the boat out into deeper water. Mrs. Frome, Bradon, and Robin were in for the ride. No one even asked Chase if he wanted to join. The boy stood on the grass, just shy of the dock. He wore a sad expression and eyed the boat longingly.

Artemis had to ask, "Why are you not out there right now?"

Chase's gaze shifted from the boat to Artemis. "Why aren't you?"

"Ah. Answering a question with a question, a means of distracting me from what I originally asked."

Chase cocked his head as if to say 'huh?'.

Artemis eyed the ground Chase stood on. Artemis was near the end of the dock, more than ten feet away. "You know," he said. "Talking over distances is not something I care for. Come join me on the dock."

Chase shook his head no.

"Why not?" No response. "Just because you ignore me doesn't mean I am going to drop the subject."

He gave Artemis a death glare. "I don't like water. I can't swim."

The glare did not effect Artemis in the slightest. "I am not asking you to jump into the water. Just come onto the dock."

"I don't want to."

Artemis folded his arms. "You won't come onto the dock?"

"Too close to the water," he mumbled. "I might fall in."

"Only if you're careless," Artemis said knowingly. "Perhaps you'd be less afraid if you learned to swim-"

"I won't go in!" Chase backed away a few steps. "I don't want to!"

Artemis frowned. He was really scared, Chase that is. For the first time Chase looked like a little kid instead of a non-social videogame fanatic.

"You know," Artemis said. "The best thing to do to a fear is conquer it."

Chase took a few more steps backwards.

"I'm not telling you to swim, just come out here where I am. I won't toss you in the lake," Artemis tried to smile reassuringly, but failed. He wasn't good with sincerity.

"W-what if the dock breaks?" Chase asked nervously.

Artemis refrained from making a sarcastic comment. "If it can hold my weight, it will surely hold you." He walked over onto the grass. "Come on. I'll help you."

_What am I doing? Am I being nice? I never cease to amaze me. _

Chase approached Artemis cautiously. Artemis stepped onto the dock and Chase stepped behind him. Immediately, Chase grabbed Artemis by the shirt and clung on with two hands. Artemis had a flashback to Fowl Manor. Once, Beckett had been walking and tripped. He'd grabbed Artemis' clothes for support. His little brother…

Artemis felt his heart soften. He moved slowly towards the end of the dock, Chase in tow.

"How old are you again?" Artemis asked.

"Ten," he whispered.

In the distance, Robin was driving the motor boat. She was going fast, too, for a quiet conservative girl. Who knew speed was her forte?

They reached the end of the dock. Chase stared into the water, terrified. He didn't let go of Artemis' shirt. After a few seconds he said, "I want to go back."

"Alright, if you want," Artemis led him back onto the nice, safe ground, where Chase relaxed dramatically. He might have smiled (it was hard to tell) before he ran back inside the cottage.

Not even a thank you, Artemis complained. That's the last time I help anyone.

And yet, for some reason, he felt good.

xxxxxxx

Artemis stayed out on the dock and watched those in the boat take turns driving. When they finally came in Mr. Frome had the idea to play a board game. Artemis thought that sounded dull, but Monopoly ended up getting pulled out from some dusty closet. And everyone had to play. They were 'bonding.'

Of all the board games in the world, Monopoly ended up being a good choice. Artemis had never played it before but soon learned that there was some skill involved if you wanted to play a competitive game. And the game was long, too, especially with six people. They huddled around the round kitchen table.

After playing for half an hour Artemis was in a good mood, until he found out Mr. Frome was winning.

"Didn't I ever tell you?" he said to Artemis. "I've never lost a game of Monopoly."

"Is that so?" Artemis said more to himself.

No one had ever beaten Artemis at anything. Ever. Even a board game. He wasn't about to let it happen today. He was smarter, after all.

It's not often you get to witness such a heated game of Monopoly. It was like Artemis and Mr. Frome were the only ones there and the rest of the family wasn't even playing. Mr. Frome wasn't about to let his winning streak be threatened, and Artemis wouldn't let his precious ego be lessened by being beaten at such a juvenile activity.

Two hours later, they were the only two left playing. Bradon and Robin watched in avid interest. Chase sat on the couch with his gameboy. And Mrs. Frome had gone off to do…whatever mothers do in their free time.

I could go into the details, give you a play by play of what happened. Or I could cut to the chase. To make a long story short, Mr. Frome won.

Artemis sat in shock. "Impossible," he said in awe.

"Don't take it personally. I always win," Mr. Frome gloated.

_I can't believe I lost. _The funny thing is, no one else in the room appreciated how significant this turn of events was. Artemis was at a loss for words. No, that's not true. He had one word. "Rematch."

"Hm?"

"I want a rematch. I was rusty at first, but now I have gotten the hang of it. I want to play you, again."

"For real?" Bradon piped up. "You already played forever."

"What time is it?" asked Mr. Frome.

"7:45," Artemis told him.

"It's still early. You're on." He set up a new game.

Robin was bored. She left the table, wondering why all guys were so competitive, even when it came to little stuff that didn't matter.

Bradon left too, not that either player noticed. The game was steady. No one seemed to have an advantage. They played until Mrs. Frome had to yell at them both to go to bed, because it was too late. "I don't want you two staying up all night!"

Artemis almost retorted with a snappy comeback, unused to being ordered around, but thought better of it. When he got in bed, he made himself feel better; _I clearly would have won anyway. There is no doubt about it._

xxxxxxx

Artemis had trouble sleeping that night. He blamed it on the mattress he was laying on. It was stiff and lumpy, and it did a number on his back. He woke up before 7:00 a.m. and could not fall back asleep. Sunlight was already shining through the window.

He got up and got dressed. Out in the sitting room, a book belonging to Robin was left on the coffee table. Artemis picked it up and read the back. It was a fantasy novel. Artemis rarely read fiction and set it back, uninterested.

He sat on the couch, not sure what to do. Last night, when he couldn't sleep, it gave him a lot of time to think. He thought of his home, his family, his friends, not that there were very many. He missed his home, as immature as that may sound. He'd left Ireland plenty of times before, but it was always for some criminal spree or another, which always kept him fairly busy. But here, he had nothing to do to keep his mind from wandering back to his life at the Manor. His family would all be awake right now, probably eating lunch.

_Look at me. I am becoming much too emotional. I must be careful of that._

At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Frome congregated in the kitchen, unaware that Artemis was awake and sitting in the next room. He could hear everything they said. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the opportunity was too convenient to pass up. He listened in silence.

"Are you okay?" he heard Mr. Frome ask gently.

"Under the circumstances, I'm doing alright," Mrs. Frome said sadly. "I'm just nervous about telling the kids."

"Would you rather I told them?" Mr. Frome offered.

"No, I want to," she replied.

"At least we were able to have a nice family vacation before you left."

Left? What was going on? Mr. Frome, usually boisterous and loud-spoken, remained gentle and soothing, showing consideration for his wife. She was clearly upset about something.

"That's true," she said. "I'll break the news when we get home. Sound good?"

"Yeah…don't worry. Everything will work out for the best."

If Artemis could have seen them, he would have known Mr. Frome held his wife in a comforting way. Mrs. Frome let him. She even allowed a single tear to roll down her face before pulling herself back together.

xxxxxxx

Later that afternoon, everyone helped pack up the minivan so they could leave. It was Sunday, and the kids had school tomorrow. If there had been any signs earlier that something was bothering Mrs. Frome, they were gone now. She acted normal and happy. Artemis wondered if all parents were this good at hiding their problems from their children.

Nothing eventful happened on the way home. Although, Artemis had never been so happy to see a stop light before. He loved the city. There were people there and more importantly, technology!

Once at home, Artemis unpacked his bag and ate dinner with the others. It was after dinner, when Mrs. Frome was clearing plates off the table that she said, "Kids, don't go anywhere. There's something I need to talk to you about."

All three of them picked up on her serious tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, Artemis," she said kindly but firmly. "Could you please go wait in your room. This is…family business."

"Oh," Artemis was taken aback. "Of course." He went to his bedroom so the family could talk.

He heard Bradon ask, "Mom, what's going on?" before closing the door shut. He sat on his bed, a million and one different scenarios running through his mind.

xxxxxxx

Not one of my better chapters. There's other stuff later that I just want to get to as quickly as possible. Sorry if it seemed rushed at all.

Out of curiosity, who is your favorite character (other than Artemis)? I'd like to know which of my OCs you think is the most interesting to read about.


	11. XI

More than 50 reviews! I know 100 reviews is _supposed_ to be the one you celebrate, but 50 is awesome! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! And thank you also everyone who has been reading my story silently. Even if you're not reviewing, I'm still glad you like it enough to read. :D

This is sort of a filler chapter. Nothing particularly exciting happens…

xxxxxxx

"Mom, what's going on?" Bradon asked, sitting at the kitchen table with the rest of his family.

Mrs. Frome sat down next to her husband and looked at each of her children in turn. "Something has happened. Now, I don't want any of you to worry. It's just…there are going to be some changes around here, temporarily."

Bradon was starting to get worried. Whatever was going on, his mom was beating around the bush to avoid saying whatever she needed to say. Robin looked equally bothered. Chase just looked confused.

"You all know your Aunt Kristy?"

_Well, duh._ Kristy was Bradon's mom's younger sister. She lived in Minnesota with her five-year-old son, Noah. She's a single mom, so she has this little apartment, but since it's just the two of them, it works just fine. They always come to visit for Christmas and Thanksgiving and whatever.

Robin nodded in response to Mrs. Frome's question.

Mrs. Frome took a deep breath and put on a brave front. She said in a controlled voice, "Aunt Kristy is very sick. She has breast cancer. Apparently, she's had it for a long time now, but she never told anyone because she didn't want people to worry about her. When the doctors first caught it, it was already spread too far for them to get rid of completely. Now, it's advanced to the point where she can't handle it on her own anymore. She called me last week and told me all this. So, I am going to stay with her and help take care of things, lighten her load."

"What?!" Bradon blurted. "You're going to live with her?"

"I'm going to take care of her," Mrs. Frome said. "I'm her sister, and there is no one else for her to turn to. My plane leaves on Thursday."

"She's really that sick?" Robin confirmed, her voice small and concerned. "She needs you with her full time?"

Mrs. Frome nodded. "Unfortunately. Cancer is a scary thing. It's not something you should go through on your own. She needs support more than anything, and I'm going to give it to her."

Mr. Frome took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Bradon couldn't help but be a little grossed out by his parents' public display of affection.

"But, how long will you be gone?" he asked.

"I can't predict that now," she replied. "Until she doesn't need me anymore."

"Will she be okay?" Robin choked.

Mrs. Frome said, "Right now, it doesn't look good. She's undergoing treatment, and that always helps, but…there's only so much doctors can do. She's still sick."

Robin became very interested in the table top, blinking hard.

_Shit, don't cry Robin!_ Bradon communicated telepathically. And then the reality of what was happening sunk in. Aunt Kristy had cancer. People died of cancer. And Mom was leaving to go to Minnesota while the rest of them stayed here and just…what? Waited for her to come home? It could be months!

"So, what? You're going to ditch us, just like that?" he snapped, harsher than he had intended. "What about your job? What about _us_?"

Any other day and she might have called him out on his tone of voice, but today she allowed it to slide. "That's all been taken care of. Your father will still be here. There is nothing I regret more than leaving you all to fend for yourselves, especially with Artemis here. That's just one more kid for my very understanding husband to be in charge of on his own. The timing of this was terrible."

Mr. Frome smiled. "Don't let that keep you up at night. I can run a house on my own. I am an adult, you know."

Mrs. Frome laughed halfheartedly. "The point is, I'm needed there more than I'm needed here, right now. I promise I'll call every night. And I will come home as soon as humanly possible once Kristy is back on her feet."

Back on her feet? Bradon didn't recall too many cancer patients who made miraculous recoveries. Maybe they did. He was no expert. But earlier his mom had said Aunt Kristy was in an advanced stage. If she were going to get better, wouldn't it have happened in one of the earlier stages?

"Are there any other questions?" Mrs. Frome asked.

There weren't.

xxxxxxx

Monday Artemis sat alone in the cafeteria. This had become a sort of tradition. He _liked_ sitting by himself. It gave him time to think. The first week people kept coming up to him asking if he'd like to join their table. By now they knew better. Artemis wanted to be left alone.

Robin sat down next to him with her Literature book open. She held a pencil and paper.

"Hi," she said tentatively. "Sorry to bother you, but I know you're in AP English, and I'm having trouble with this story, so…"

Artemis carefully, and deliberately slowly, put all his food aside. He peered at the page she had her book open to. It was a story his class had read only a few days ago. He still remembered his teacher going on and on, pointing out everything Artemis already knew. It had been painfully easy.

"What exactly do you want _me_ to do?" he asked with a hint of annoyance.

Robin picked up on the hint and blushed. "You don't have to help me. I just thought I'd ask."

Artemis sighed. "You know what your problem is? You have absolutely no confidence whatsoever. If you want my help, you need to assert yourself."

"I don't want to force you. I'd feel bad."

That was the most pathetic statement Artemis had heard all day. He tried not to show it on his face. "Robin, tell me what it is you want me to do."

"Well," she set the book out so they could both see. "We have to write a summary on this story. Have you read-"

"_Yes_."

"Okay, um, the teacher said something about symbols. I guess it's very symbolic or something. We're supposed to describe the symbols and what they mean in the story. Except, I don't know what the symbols are. To me it's just a confusing, creepy story."

"You obviously don't understand what is being told here," Artemis said. "There is so much meaning and depth beyond the surface."

"That's what I don't get," Robin mused. "Why do all the stories we read have to have depth? Who says they weren't just written for fun, to be taken at face value. There always seems to be some deep meaning behind everything."

"But there _is_ meaning."

"Then what is it is this story?" She pointed to her book.

Artemis organized his thoughts, which took about two seconds. Then he said, "Clearly, the two house owners represent the two sides of the mind, the spiritual and the material. In order to be content, one cannot let one half overcome the other or else it causes insanity. It needs to be balanced. Anyone can see that is what the author expected his readers to get out of it."

Robin blinked, uncomprehending. "What? How-?" She turned her book sideways as if expecting the words to be easier to decipher at a ninety degree angle. "How did you get that?"

Then, Tyler showed up out of nowhere. He made himself comfortable in the chair across from Artemis and set his lunch bag on the table. Artemis wasn't pleased. Any more people joined his table and he might be mistaken for being part of a group. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too," Tyler responded without a trace of sincerity. "My friend I usually spend lunch with is absent today. I wasn't about to sit by myself." He nodded to Robin. "Hey."

"Hi," she waved, even though you could tell they didn't really know each other and were only doing it to be polite. She stuck her piece of paper in the book to save her page then closed it. "Thanks, Artemis. I think I get it now," she lied. "Sort of."

"English?" Tyler asked. "Aren't you in my class?"

Recognition lit up in Robin's eyes. "Oh, yeah. You sit a few seats behind me. Did you get the symbolism in today's story?"

He laughed. "No way. I'll probably just make something up."

Artemis was very tempted to depart without a word and let these two talk it up. Couldn't they go somewhere else? Was it really so much to ask?

As if reading his thoughts, Robin stood, hesitated while she said, "See you later," to both boys, and left.

Tyler opened his lunch bag and pulled out a frosted cupcake treat wrapped in plastic. Quite unexpectedly, he tossed it onto the table and gave it a look like it was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen in his life.

"Not a fan of desserts, I see," Artemis commented.

"I love cupcakes," Tyler said with loathing.

"Obviously."

"I do," he insisted. "But not _that_ one. I refuse to eat it."

"Why?"

"Because," Tyler made himself very busy taking an apple out of his bag. "My dad…he sort of took it without permission from this one market." He paused. "You know the saying 'the best things in life are free'? My dad likes to take that to the extreme."

"He stole it," Artemis confirmed.

"It's wrong," Tyler said. "I hate it so much. But I can't even get mad at him, because he does it for me."

Artemis wondered if Tyler's father knew how his son felt. Probably not. Otherwise he wouldn't be venting to Artemis. It was almost surprising the morals Tyler had. Where did he learn them from. Usually children followed in their parent's footsteps, whether it is right or wrong. Artemis was a perfect example of that. He was a criminal (ex-criminal now…mostly), just like his father.

"Are you really struggling so much financially that you cannot afford a one-dollar cheap snack?" Artemis asked.

Tyler took a big bite out of his apple, conveniently enabling him unable to answer.

xxxxxxx

Mrs. Frome's plane left Thursday afternoon, so her kids were unable to see her off to the airport. Instead they had to say goodbye before the left for school in the morning. Artemis felt very out of place during the whole ideal. He almost felt bad for being there while they were going through their family problem.

Anyway, Thursday afternoon, when Artemis, Bradon, and Robin got home from school they had the whole house to themselves. Mrs. Frome was on a plane to Minnesota, and Mr. Frome was still at work and wouldn't be home until the evening.

Bradon dropped his suspiciously empty backpack on the living room floor. "This is going to be _sweet_."

"What do you mean?" Artemis questioned.

Bradon leaned against the arm of the couch. "Don't you get it? Mom's gone! She was the only one enforcing any rules around here. Dad's a pushover. We can get away with anything."

"How can you say that!" Robin exclaimed, aghast. "Don't you even care about Aunt Kristy at all? You're already thinking about taking advantage of the whole situation. You are so selfish."

"Am not!" Bradon retorted defensively. "But, seriously, think about this. We have three hours every day after school where there will be no parental supervision. The possibilities are endless!"

"You're a jerk," Robin retreated to her room emotionally.

"Girls," Bradon mumbled.

Artemis, never one to voice his own opinion, kept his mouth shut.

Yeah, right.

"I don't believe you've comprehended the seriousness of the situation," he said coolly.

Bradon shifted uncomfortably. "I know cancer is serious. How stupid do you think I am?"

It took all the willpower Artemis could muster not to answer that last question. Instead he said, "This is no joking matter. I'd have to say I know how Robin is feeling. My own mother has fallen deathly ill before."

"She has?"

"Yes, and it was a very difficult time. Don't push your luck, despite the opportunities that might arise in the upcoming weeks."

Bradon frowned. "Your mom, is she okay?"

"She made a full recovery," Artemis said. He would leave out the details.

"You see," Bradon pointed out. "Aunt Kristy'll be fine." He fell down onto the couch, lazily.

Artemis made his way to his own room, closing the door behind himself for privacy. He did his homework, which took less than half an hour total. Then, he checked his e-mail. One was from his father, talking about one of the new businesses he opened. Another was from Butler telling him to keep his guard up and to call him at any signs of suspicious activity.

Suddenly, there was frantic knocking on Artemis' door. "Yes, what is it?" He was irritated.

Robin opened it asked nervously, "Do you know where Chase is? He always gets home from school before us, and he's not in his room."

Robin, Artemis, and Bradon made a quick sweep of the house and backyard to make sure Chase wasn't around.

"Is it possible for him to be late?" Artemis asked, not particularly worried himself.

"It's been half an hour," Robin said. "I'm going to walk to his school to see if he's still there."

She was out the door before Artemis could respond. _So much drama in this family,_ he thought.

xxxxxxx

Sorry if this chapter was rushed. Did I say that last chapter, too? Ah, well. It's 10:30 p.m. on a school night, and my dad's been bugging me to go to bed, so I was hurrying so I could get this done. I wanted to post it tonight.

Yeah…more stuff will start happening next chapter. Stay tuned.


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